10 Terrifying Facts About Airline Disasters You Should Skip If You're Afraid of Flying

We all consciously know that flying is by far the safest form of traveling, but it never feels that way.

Published 4 months ago in Wow

We all consciously know that flying is by far the safest form of travel. Still, hurdling through turbulence at 40,000 feet and 500 miles per hour in a thin metal tube goes against everything our body tells us is natural. There has to be nothing scarier than experiencing an airplane disaster firsthand, but that shocking horror triggers something deep in our subconscious curiosity. Here are the stories of 10 airline disasters to satisfy that dark craving.

Any incident with a nickname has to have a story behind it, and the "Gimli Glider" certainly does. Air Canada Flight 143 was on its way to Edmonton from Montreal, when it ran out of fuel all the way at its cruising altitude of 41,000 feet. A failed fuel-quantity indicator sensor had already been documented on the plane, but maintenance staff misunderstood the issue and deactivated the plane's backup. Then, ground refueling proceeded to miscalculate the fuel needed for the flight. A functioning sensor was waiting for the plane in Edmonton had they made it.

Instead, pilots were forced to land the sizable Boeing 767 without thrust. The Gimli Glider landed at an old Air Force base, which had since been converted into a motorsports park. Here's that, and nine other unbelievable airline disasters.

1
In 2003, a Belgian DHL cargo jet was struck by a surface to air missile over Baghdad. Despite extreme wing damage and fuel loss, the pilots made a successful emergency landing using only differential engine thrust to control the plane.

2
Air Canada 143 was a Canadian flight that ran out of fuel while cruising at 41,000 feet due to a series of multiple errors across human and electronic fuel failsafe systems. The pilots successfully landed the sizable Boeing 767 at an old air force base without any thrust, earning the incident the nickname, Gimli Glider.

3
United Airlines Flight 232 crash landed short of its final destination of Chicago, at Sioux Gateway Airport in Iowa. The DC-10’s tail wing engine failed, and the pilots lost many flight controls. While it’s the deadliest of any single aircraft incident in United’s history, 184 people survived the crash landing. Not a single simulator test pilot was ever able to land the aircraft, and the incident earned the nickname "The Impossible Landing." Many consider it the greatest landing ever.
4
Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8 was flying over the Pacific ocean in 1983 when a propeller broke off the engine and struck the body of the plane. Despite significant damage, the plane still made a safe emergency landing in Anchorage.

5
In 1979, American Airlines 191 became the worst disaster in American aviation history. American Airlines circumvented the manufacturer's instructions to save time, which resulted in damaged pylon mounts. The manufacturer had warned American Airlines against their procedure.
6
Air Transat Flight 236 ran out of fuel because of a leak while flying over the Atlantic ocean in 2001. However, the pilots were able to make an emergency landing in the Azores. It’s the longest ever glide for a commercial aircraft.
7
FedEx Flight 705 was an attempted hijacking of a cargo plane by an employee. The plane was a DC-10-30 and was flown like a fighter jet in an attempt to stop the hostile takeover. One pilot flew the plane while the other two wrestled the would-be hijacker in the back while the plane was rolling around. The pilots and flight engineers managed to successfully fly the plane and subdue the man while suffering multiple head injuries.

8
American Airlines 96 was a DC-10 who’s left rear cargo door flew off mid flight. The resulting damage caused the rudder to turn all the way right. Amazingly, pilots were able to work around this, and still land the plane.
9
TACA Flight 110 was on its final descent into New Orleans in 1988 when it encountered severe thunderstorms, causing flameouts in both engines. Thanks to quick thinking, the pilots landed on a grass levee right next to the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility. There were only minor injuries.
10
During the crash of Japan Air Lines Flight 123, the pilots almost regained control of a flight-controlless aircraft with differential engine thrust, but ultimately were unable to land the 747, leading to the most deadly single plane crash in history.