The Most Devastating Plane Crashes in American History

While plane crashes are extremely rare, that doesn't mean they aren't frightening to think about. It's likely everyone has had that thought cross their mind while either looking up at a plane or seconds from boarding one.

Although scary, you are more likely to get struck by lightning or die in your bathroom than you are to get into a plane crash. The numbers for fatal accidents are also steadily decreasing as safety measures get better and better.

For instance, in 1994, there were 9.08 accidents per 100,000 flight hours. In 2007, this number went down to 6.84 of every 100,000 flight hours.

For this slideshow, we've chosen only to highlight a few of the worst and deadliest plane crashes in the United States. To limit the list, we did not consider planes that went missing or accidents in airships.

Click through the slideshow for devastating plane crashes in the United States. If you are sensitive to things like death, consider this before reading, as these incidents can be tough to read about.

One of the earliest and deadliest American plane crashes, not including airships, was Eastern Air Lines Flight 605. On May 30, 1947, while flying from Newark to Miami, the plane crashed about two miles east of Bainbridge. All aboard, four crew and 49 passengers, passed away. The Civil Aviation Board found that the cause of the accident was likely an unexpected sudden loss of control.

During the same year as the previous crash, the tragic Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 410 accident occurred. On June 13, 1947, a flight leaving from Chicago to Norfolk crashed into Lookout Rock in the West Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains. This crash led to the deaths of all aboard, which included 47 passengers and three crew. So, what caused this crash? The most probable reason is that the pilot descended too low.

What a terrible year for plane crashes. Again in 1947, another plane crashed, leading to 52 deaths. On October 24, 1947, on a flight from Los Angeles to Chicago, a plane crashed after a fire started in the baggage compartment. Although the pilot attempted to land, they fell in Bryce Canyon National Park.

Next is the Strato-Freight Curtiss C-46A crash in 1949. This flight departed from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Miami. However, the plane never reached Miami. Instead, the flight went down almost as quickly as it took off. The plane lost power about a minute after take-off, resulting in an emergency landing. Out of the 75 passengers, 53 were killed. The reason the plane crashed was that the spark plugs did not fit the plane. They were not approved for use in the Curtiss C-46A.

On November 1, 1949, the Eastern Air Lines Flight 537 from Boston to Washington, D.C., crashed into another plane, a Lockheed P-38 Lightning. They hit each other about a mile away from the Washington National Airport, killing all aboard the Eastern Airlines Flight 537. The only survivor was the pilot of the P-38.

Only about half a year after the devastating crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 537, another accident followed. On June 23, 1950, Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501 crashed into Lake Michigan. All on board (58) were presumed dead. While the cause was never determined, there were reports of engine sputtering noises and a large flash of light.

Another tragic plane accident happened on June 30, 1951, involving United Air Lines Flight 610. While on the way to Denver from Salt Lake City, the plane crashed into Crystal Mountain. All 45 passengers and five crew were killed. The cause was likely that the pilot was on the wrong frequency, not getting the right information on when to turn.

On August 24, 1951, near Decoto, California, the plane crashed into mountainous terrain, leading to 50 fatalities (everyone on the plane). The cause was the pilot ignoring landing procedures and instead using the automatic direction finder (ADF), which threw the plane off course.

The next devastating American plane crash was the Miami Airlines C-46 incident. Shortly after take-off from Newark Airport, the airplane went down in Elizabeth, New Jersey. All 58 passengers passed away. Before the crash, a trail of white smoke flowed out of the right side of the plane. The cause was faulty hold-down studs of the right engine's number 10 cylinder.

While flying from Puerto Rico, Pan Am Flight 526A, the airplane landed in the ocean. The plane crashed because of dual engine failures, likely due to inadequate maintenance. Although the plane landed in the water, some passengers refused to get off the sinking plane, resulting in the death of 52 people; 17 survived.

Plane crashes seemed to be very common during the 1940s and 50s. Another one occurred in 1952, the Mount Gannett C-124 crash. While flying to the Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, a military transport aircraft of the United States Air Force crashed, killing all 52 on board. The location made it nearly impossible to locate. The debris field was only identified in 2012.

The Moses Lake C-124 was the deadliest plane accident in the world at the time. While flying to Kelly Air Force Base, the military transport aircraft crashed, killing 87 of the 115 people on board. The crash was quick. Right after take-off, the left wing struck the ground, resulting in an explosion.

On October 6, 1955, United Air Lines Flight 409 flew into Medicine Bow Peak, killing all 66 on the flight. While we still don't know the exact reason, a few theories exist. One of these theories is that the altimeter was faulty, showing the plane was at a higher altitude than it really was. Turbulence may have also been a cause.

Another deadly plane crash in the United States was American Airlines Flight 320 in 1959. While descending to the airport, the plane crashed into the East River. At the time, the weather conditions were terrible. The accident took the lives of all on the plane (62 occupants).

The Park Slope Plane Crash was absolutely terrible. Really, all plane accidents are. This crash involved two aircraft, the United Air Lines Douglas DC-8 and a TWA Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, resulting in 134 deaths. This included all 128 occupants on board and six people on the ground. Technically, there was an initial survivor, but sadly, the 11-year-old Stephen Baltz passed away the day after his rescue.

On June 4, 1963, the Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 293 crashed off the coast of Alaska. At the time, it was one of the deadliest crashes, resulting in 101 deaths. The cause is still unknown as the wreckage is under 8,000 feet of water.

Another mid-air collision occurred on July 19, 1967, when a Piedmont Airlines Boeing 727-22 collided with a twin-engine Cessna 310. This tragic accident killed everyone on board both aircraft. On this flight was John T. McNaughton, an advisor to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.

No survivors were found after the Allegheny Airlines Flight 853 crash. On September 9, 1969, the airline flight collided in mid-air with a Piper PA-28. This accident was likely caused by a few things, including the technical limitations of radar in detecting all aircraft.

Due to a pilot error, on November 14, 1970, Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed into a hill near its destination. The crash killed all aboard, including 37 members of the Marshall University football team.

Another accident due to a pilot error happened on December 1, 1974. During this trip, the flight crashed into Mount Weather, claiming the lives of all 92 occupants. On the same day, the Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 6231 also crashed, resulting in three deaths.

The Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 crash was absolutely devastating. Because of the severe weather and wind shear, the plane crashed while approaching John F. Kennedy International Airport. By a miracle, there were some survivors, although 113 of the 124 people on board died.

On April 4, 1977, Southern Airways Flight 242 made a forced landing after hail damage during a severe thunderstorm. Somehow, 20 occupants, including two flight attendants, survived. However, there were 72 fatalities, nine of whom were people on the ground.

While plane crashes aren't common, especially mid-air ones, they do still happen. On September 25, 1978, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 collided with a private Cessna 172. The aircraft crashed into a neighborhood in California right after colliding, killing all 135 aboard and seven people on the ground. Nine others on the ground were injured.

The American Airlines Flight 191 crash continues to be the deadliest in the United States, claiming the lives of nearly 300 people (273). American Airlines Flight 191 was taking off from the runway when its left engine detached. The plane crashed soon after, further along the runway.

Imagine being the only one left surviving after a plane accident. Well, that's the case for a lucky passenger, a 17-year-old, on Galaxy Airlines Flight 203. It crashed shortly after take-off, killing 70.

On August 2, 1985, a microburst induced wind shear and pilot error led to a disastrous crash. The plane crashed into a car, leading to one death on the ground and several injuries. Out of the 163 occupants, 27 survived.

About half of the people who crashed on the United Airlines Flight 232 survived. Out of the 296 occupants, 185 survived. So, what happened? Well, no one noticed a manufacturing defect in the engine's fan disk, which led to the loss of all flight controls.

Fuel exhaustion is what caused Avianca Flight 052's crash. The flight ran out of fuel while trying to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Out of the 158 occupants, 85 survived.

No one survived the USAir Flight 427 crash. On September 8, 1994, because of a flawed design that led to a loss of control, the flight crashed, killing all 132 aboard the aircraft. It remains the deadliest air disaster in Pennsylvania.

One of the deadliest crashes in the United States involved TWA Flight 800. Just a few minutes after take-off in New York, the plane exploded, killing all 230 people on board. Although we still don't know for sure, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that the cause may have been a short circuit and flammable fuel vapors in the center fuel tank.

The last horrifically deadly flight in the 1990s in the United States was EgyptAir Flight 990. Although en route to Egypt, the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. The crash killed all 117 aboard.

September 11, 2001, was the day a major terrorist attack claimed thousands of lives in the United States. Did you know there were four flights involved? Two flights, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, crashed into the Twin Towers; another plane, American Airlines Flight 77, hit the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The last plane was supposed to hit the White House, but passengers fought back and the plane crashed in a field near the Diamond T. Mine in Pennsylvania, claiming all the lives on board.

Only two months after the terrorist attacks in the United States, another plane crash claimed the lives of hundreds of people. American Airlines Flight 587 crashed shortly after take-off, killing all 260 aboard.

Lastly, the most recent American plane crash was the 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision. This mid-air collision involved the American Airlines Flight 5342 and a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. All 67 people aboard the plane died. As of July 2025, this crash is still under investigation.