Home > History Fact Finder > Natural and Man-Made Disasters - What Is The Worst Airplane Crash In History?

Natural and Man-Made Disasters - What Is The Worst Airplane Crash In History?

What is the worst airplane crash in history?

The worst airplane crash in history occurred on August 12, 1985. On that date a Japan Air Lines Boeing 747 crashed into a mountain about eleven minutes after take off, killing 520 people. Before the crash, the plane lost a 15 foot (4.6 meters) section tail and all of its flying controls were rendered useless.

Another fatal plane crash took place on the evening of July 17, 1996, when TWA (Trans World Airline) flight 800 departed from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City on route to Paris, France. Minutes later, the Boeing 747 exploded. All 230 people aboard were killed as the plane plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off of Long Island. Although there was much speculation that the tragedy was caused by a terrorist bomb, it was eventually determined that metal fatigue was the cause of the disaster. One plane crash that was clearly the work of terrorists (Libyan Muslim...

[The entire page is 252 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the: