Transport Airplane: Common Theme Accidents

Accident Common Themes apply across the entire spectrum of accidents, and provide insight into relationships between seemingly disparate accidents. Common Themes allow identification of causes or accident factors that are independent of the type of accident, or the related threats.

Flawed Assumptions

Assumptions are essential elements of safety determinations for every aspect of the design, operation, and maintenance of the airplane. These are expected results that, if all goes as intended, a safe outcome is produced. However, if the part, human, or feature does not perform as it was assumed it would under the specific situation, a completely different, and in some cases, catastrophic outcome can result.

Date	Operator	Flight	City	State	Country	Make	Model	Series
5/2/1953	British Overseas Airways Corporation	783	Calcutta		India	de Havilland	DH-106 Comet
1/10/1954	British Overseas Airways Corporation	781	Elba		Italy	de Havilland	DH-106 Comet
4/8/1954	South African Airways	201	Naples		Italy	de Havilland	DH-106 Comet
6/30/1956	Trans World Airlines	2	Grand Canyon	Arizona	United States	Lockheed	L-1049 Super Constellation
6/30/1956	United Airlines	718	Grand Canyon	Arizona	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-7
9/29/1959	Braniff Airways	542	Buffalo	Texas	United States	Lockheed	L-188 Electra
3/17/1960	Northwest Airlines	710	Cannelton	Indiana	United States	Lockheed	L-188 Electra
10/4/1960	Eastern Airlines	375	Boston	Massachusetts	United States	Lockheed	L-188 Electra
12/16/1960	United Airlines	826	Staten Island	New York	United States	Douglas	DC-8
12/16/1960	Trans World Airlines	266	Staten Island	New York	United States	Lockheed	L-1049 Super Constellation
11/23/1962	United Airlines	297	Ellicott City	Maryland	United States	Vickers-Armstrongs	Viscount 745
12/8/1963	Pan American World Airways	214	Elkton	Maryland	United States	Boeing	707	121
11/11/1965	United Airlines	227	Salt Lake City	Utah	United States	Boeing	727	22
3/5/1967	Lake Central Airlines	527	Marseilles	Ohio	United States	Convair	340
6/23/1967	Mohawk Airlines	40	Blossburg	Pennsylvania	United States	British Aircraft Corporation	BAC 1-11
1/18/1969	United Airlines	266	Los Angeles	California	United States	Boeing	727	22C
12/29/1972	Eastern Airlines	401	Miami	Florida	United States	Lockheed	L-1011
3/3/1974	Turk Hava	TK981	Paris		France	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10
6/24/1975	Eastern Airlines	66	Jamaica	New York	United States	Boeing	727	225
11/12/1975	Overseas National Airways	32	Jamaica	New York	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10	30
4/4/1977	Southern Airways	242	New Hope	Georgia	United States	Douglas	DC-9	31
5/14/1977	Dan-Air Services		Lusaka		Zambia	Boeing	707	300
3/1/1978	Continental Airlines	603	Los Angeles	California	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10	10
9/25/1978	Pacific Southwest Airlines	182	San Diego	California	United States	Boeing	727	214
9/25/1978	Gibbs Flite Center		San Diego	California	United States	Cessna	172
7/23/1983	Air Canada	143	Gimli	Manitoba	Canada	Boeing	767	233
8/31/1986	Aeronaves de Mexico, S.A.	498	Cerritos	California	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-9	32
8/31/1986	Private Pilot		Cerritos	California	United States	Piper	PA-28-181
5/25/1979	American Airlines	191	Chicago	Illinois	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10
8/19/1980	Saudi Arabian Airlines	163	Riyadh		Saudi Arabia	Lockheed	L-1011	10
1/13/1982	Air Florida	90	Washington	D.C.	United States	Boeing	737	200
8/2/1985	Delta Airlines	191	Dallas/Fort Worth	Texas	United States	Lockheed	L-1011
8/12/1985	Japan Airlines	123	Gunma Prefecture		Japan	Boeing	747	SR
8/22/1985	British Airtours	KT28M	Manchester		England	Boeing	737	236
11/28/1987	South African Airways	295			Mauritius	Boeing	747	244B
4/28/1988	Aloha Airlines	243	Maui	Hawaii	United States	Boeing	737	200
5/24/1988	TACA International Airlines	110	New Orleans	Louisiana	United States	Boeing	737	300
2/24/1989	United Airlines	811	Honolulu	Hawaii	United States	Boeing	747	122
7/19/1989	United Airlines	232	Sioux City	Iowa	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10
1/25/1990	Avianca Airlines	52	Long Island	New York	United States	Boeing	707	321B
4/5/1991	Atlantic Southeast Airlines	2311	Brunswick	Georgia	United States	Embraer	EMB-120
5/26/1991	Lauda Air	NG004	Bangkok		Thailand	Boeing	767	300ER
10/4/1992	El Al	1862	Amsterdam		Netherlands	Boeing	747	200F
9/13/1993	Air France	72	Papeete		French Polynesia	Boeing	747	428B
9/8/1994	USAir	427	Aliquippa	Pennsylvania	United States	Boeing	737	3B7
10/31/1994	Simmons Airlines American Eagle	4184	Roselawn	Indiana	United States	Avions de Transport Regional	72-212
8/21/1995	Atlantic Southeast	529	Carrollton	Georgia	United States	Embraer	EMB-120RT
5/11/1996	ValuJet Airlines	592	Everglades	Florida	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-9	32
7/6/1996	Delta Airlines	1288	Pensacola	Florida	United States	McDonnell Douglas	MD-88	1288
7/17/1996	Trans World Airlines	800	Long Island	New York	United States	Boeing	747	100
10/31/1996	TAM	402	Sao Paulo		Brazil	Fokker	100
1/9/1997	Comair	3272	Monroe	Michigan	United States	Embraer	EMB-120RT
9/2/1998	Swissair	111	Peggy's Cove		Nova Scotia	McDonnell Douglas	MD-11
1/31/2000	Alaska Airlines	261	Anacapa Island	California	United States	McDonnell Douglas	MD-83
7/25/2000	Air France	4590	Paris		France	Concorde
8/24/2001	Air Transat	TSC236	Lajes	Azores	Portugal	Airbus	A330	243
11/12/2001	American Airlines	587	Belle Harbor	NewYork	United States	Airbus	A300	600
8/14/2005	Helios Airways	52	Hellas		Greece	Boeing	737	300
8/20/2007	China Airlines	120	Okinawa		Japan	Boeing	737	800
1/17/2008	British Airways	38	London		England	Boeing	777	236ER
1/15/2009	US Airways	1549	New York	New York	United States	Airbus	A320	214
2/12/2009	Colgan Air	3407	Clarence Center	New York	United States	Bombardier	DHC-8-400
9/3/2010	United Parcel Service	6	Dubai		United Arab Emirates	Boeing	747	44AF
11/4/2010	Qantas	32	Batam Island		Indonesia	Airbus	A380	842
4/29/2013	National Airlines	102	Bagram		Afghanistan	Boeing	747	400 BCF

Human Error

This is the most common of all accident themes and exists in one form or another on nearly all accidents. It involves humans that, in the course of doing their work, make errors that are later shown to have caused, or substantially contributed to the accident. These are human actions that, if done correctly, result in a safe outcome, but if done incorrectly, can result in an accident. It also represents one of the greatest opportunities for advancing safety by the application of targeted interventions which are intended to reduce the risks for human error.

Date	Operator	Flight	City	State	Country	Make	Model	Series
1/18/1960	Capital Airlines	20	Charles City	Virginia	United States	Vickers-Armstrongs	Viscount 700
12/16/1960	United Airlines	826	Staten Island	New York	United States	Douglas	DC-8
12/16/1960	Trans World Airlines	266	Staten Island	New York	United States	Lockheed	L-1049 Super Constellation
2/12/1963	Northwest Airlines	705	Miami	Florida	United States	Boeing	720B
11/11/1965	United Airlines	227	Salt Lake City	Utah	United States	Boeing	727	22
1/18/1969	United Airlines	266	Los Angeles	California	United States	Boeing	727	22C
12/29/1972	Eastern Airlines	401	Miami	Florida	United States	Lockheed	L-1011
3/3/1974	Turk Hava	TK981	Paris		France	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10
12/1/1974	Trans World Airlines	514	Mt. Weather	Virginia	United States	Boeing	727	231
4/27/1976	American Airlines	625	St. Thomas		Virgin Islands	Boeing	727	95
3/27/1977	KLM	4805	Tenerife	Canary Islands	Spain	Boeing	747	206B
3/27/1977	Pan American World Airways	1736	Tenerife	Canary Islands	Spain	Boeing	747	121
2/11/1978	Pacific Western Airlines	314	Cranbrook	British Columbia	Canada	Boeing	737	275
12/28/1978	United Airlines	173	Portland	Oregon	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-8	61
5/25/1979	American Airlines	191	Chicago	Illinois	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10
8/19/1980	Saudi Arabian Airlines	163	Riyadh		Saudi Arabia	Lockheed	L-1011	10
1/13/1982	Air Florida	90	Washington	D.C.	United States	Boeing	737	200
6/2/1983	Air Canada	797	Covington	Kentucky	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-9	32
7/23/1983	Air Canada	143	Gimli	Manitoba	Canada	Boeing	767	233
8/2/1985	Delta Airlines	191	Dallas/Fort Worth	Texas	United States	Lockheed	L-1011
8/12/1985	Japan Airlines	123	Gunma Prefecture		Japan	Boeing	747	SR
8/16/1987	Northwest Airlines	255	Detroit	Michigan	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-9
4/28/1988	Aloha Airlines	243	Maui	Hawaii	United States	Boeing	737	200
1/8/1989	British Midland	92	Kegworth	Leicestershire	England	Boeing	737	400
3/10/1989	Air Ontario	1363	Dryden	Ontario	Canada	Fokker	28
7/19/1989	United Airlines	232	Sioux City	Iowa	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10
1/25/1990	Avianca Airlines	52	Long Island	New York	United States	Boeing	707	321B
2/14/1990	Indian Airlines	605	Bangalore		India	Airbus	A320	321
2/1/1991	USAir	1493	Los Angeles	California	United States	Boeing	737	300
2/1/1991	Skywest	5569	Los Angeles	California	United States	Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner	SA-277-AC
9/11/1991	Continental Express	2574	Eagle Lake	Texas	United States	Embraer	EMB-120RT
12/27/1991	Scandinavian Airlines System	751	Gottröra		Sweden	McDonnell Douglas	MD-81
1/20/1992	Air Inter	IFT148 DA	Strasbourg		France	Airbus	A320	111
9/13/1993	Air France	72	Papeete		French Polynesia	Boeing	747	428B
4/26/1994	China Airlines	140	Nagoya		Japan	Airbus	300B4-622R
9/8/1994	USAir	427	Aliquippa	Pennsylvania	United States	Boeing	737	3B7
12/20/1995	American Airlines	965	Cali		Colombia	Boeing	757	223
2/6/1996	Birgenair	ALW301	Puerto Plata		Dominican Republic	Boeing	757	200
5/11/1996	ValuJet Airlines	592	Everglades	Florida	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-9	32
7/6/1996	Delta Airlines	1288	Pensacola	Florida	United States	McDonnell Douglas	MD-88	1288
8/6/1997	Korean Airlines	801	Nimitz Hill		Guam	Boeing	747	300
8/7/1997	Fine Air	101	Miami	Florida	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-8	61
6/1/1999	American Airlines	1420	Little Rock	Arkansas	United States	McDonnell Douglas	MD-82
1/31/2000	Alaska Airlines	261	Anacapa Island	California	United States	McDonnell Douglas	MD-83
8/24/2001	Air Transat	TSC236	Lajes	Azores	Portugal	Airbus	A330	243
11/12/2001	American Airlines	587	Belle Harbor	NewYork	United States	Airbus	A300	600
7/1/2002	Bashkirian Airlines	2937	Überlingen		Germany	Tupolev	TU154M
7/1/2002	DHL	611	Überlingen		Germany	Boeing	757	200
11/6/2002	Luxair	LG9642/LH2420	Luxembourg		Luxembourg	Fokker	F27 Mk 050
8/14/2005	Helios Airways	52	Hellas		Greece	Boeing	737	300
12/8/2005	Southwest Airlines	1248	Chicago	Illinois	United States	Boeing	737	700
8/27/2006	Comair	5191	Lexington	Kentucky	United States	Bombardier	CL-600-2B19
8/20/2007	China Airlines	120	Okinawa		Japan	Boeing	737	800
2/12/2009	Colgan Air	3407	Clarence Center	New York	United States	Bombardier	DHC-8-400
4/29/2013	National Airlines	102	Bagram		Afghanistan	Boeing	747	400 BCF

Organizational Lapses

This is where an institutionalized process, procedure, or requirement that allows vital tasks or information to be handled in such a way so as to prevent an accident precursor from being recognized or safety intervention from being initiated. This breakdown could be in the form of a fleet-wide activity that is later found to be deficient, gaps in safety information flowing from one person or organization to another, or key personnel being unaware of an issue because of organizational impediments to the information.

Date	Operator	Flight	City	State	Country	Make	Model	Series
11/11/1965	United Airlines	227	Salt Lake City	Utah	United States	Boeing	727	22
3/5/1967	Lake Central Airlines	527	Marseilles	Ohio	United States	Convair	340
12/29/1972	Eastern Airlines	401	Miami	Florida	United States	Lockheed	L-1011
11/3/1973	National Airlines	27	Albuquerque	New Mexico	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10	10
3/3/1974	Turk Hava	TK981	Paris		France	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10
12/1/1974	Trans World Airlines	514	Mt. Weather	Virginia	United States	Boeing	727	231
2/11/1978	Pacific Western Airlines	314	Cranbrook	British Columbia	Canada	Boeing	737	275
3/1/1978	Continental Airlines	603	Los Angeles	California	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10	10
5/25/1979	American Airlines	191	Chicago	Illinois	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10
1/13/1982	Air Florida	90	Washington	D.C.	United States	Boeing	737	200
6/2/1983	Air Canada	797	Covington	Kentucky	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-9	32
7/23/1983	Air Canada	143	Gimli	Manitoba	Canada	Boeing	767	233
8/12/1985	Japan Airlines	123	Gunma Prefecture		Japan	Boeing	747	SR
8/22/1985	British Airtours	KT28M	Manchester		England	Boeing	737	236
4/28/1988	Aloha Airlines	243	Maui	Hawaii	United States	Boeing	737	200
1/8/1989	British Midland	92	Kegworth	Leicestershire	England	Boeing	737	400
2/24/1989	United Airlines	811	Honolulu	Hawaii	United States	Boeing	747	122
3/10/1989	Air Ontario	1363	Dryden	Ontario	Canada	Fokker	28
2/1/1991	USAir	1493	Los Angeles	California	United States	Boeing	737	300
2/1/1991	Skywest	5569	Los Angeles	California	United States	Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner	SA-277-AC
9/11/1991	Continental Express	2574	Eagle Lake	Texas	United States	Embraer	EMB-120RT
12/27/1991	Scandinavian Airlines System	751	Gottröra		Sweden	McDonnell Douglas	MD-81
1/20/1992	Air Inter	IFT148 DA	Strasbourg		France	Airbus	A320	111
9/13/1993	Air France	72	Papeete		French Polynesia	Boeing	747	428B
4/26/1994	China Airlines	140	Nagoya		Japan	Airbus	300B4-622R
8/21/1995	Atlantic Southeast	529	Carrollton	Georgia	United States	Embraer	EMB-120RT
5/11/1996	ValuJet Airlines	592	Everglades	Florida	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-9	32
7/6/1996	Delta Airlines	1288	Pensacola	Florida	United States	McDonnell Douglas	MD-88	1288
1/9/1997	Comair	3272	Monroe	Michigan	United States	Embraer	EMB-120RT
8/6/1997	Korean Airlines	801	Nimitz Hill		Guam	Boeing	747	300
8/7/1997	Fine Air	101	Miami	Florida	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-8	61
9/2/1998	Swissair	111	Peggy's Cove		Nova Scotia	McDonnell Douglas	MD-11
1/31/2000	Alaska Airlines	261	Anacapa Island	California	United States	McDonnell Douglas	MD-83
7/25/2000	Air France	4590	Paris		France	Concorde
8/24/2001	Air Transat	TSC236	Lajes	Azores	Portugal	Airbus	A330	243
11/12/2001	American Airlines	587	Belle Harbor	NewYork	United States	Airbus	A300	600
5/25/2002	China Airlines	CI611	Makung		Penghu Island	Boeing	747	200
7/1/2002	Bashkirian Airlines	2937	Überlingen		Germany	Tupolev	TU154M
7/1/2002	DHL	611	Überlingen		Germany	Boeing	757	200
8/14/2005	Helios Airways	52	Hellas		Greece	Boeing	737	300
12/8/2005	Southwest Airlines	1248	Chicago	Illinois	United States	Boeing	737	700
12/19/2005	Chalk's Ocean Airways		Miami Beach	Florida	United States	Grumman Turbo Mallard	G-73T
8/27/2006	Comair	5191	Lexington	Kentucky	United States	Bombardier	CL-600-2B19
2/12/2009	Colgan Air	3407	Clarence Center	New York	United States	Bombardier	DHC-8-400
9/3/2010	United Parcel Service	6	Dubai		United Arab Emirates	Boeing	747	44AF
11/4/2010	Qantas	32	Batam Island		Indonesia	Airbus	A380	842
4/29/2013	National Airlines	102	Bagram		Afghanistan	Boeing	747	400 BCF

Pre-existing Failures

This is a failure condition on a single airplane or possibly a fleet of airplanes that exists, either as a latent condition or an active fault. The failure condition itself may not represent a hazard, but in combination with one or more additional failures or malfunctions, an accident can result. The failure can also be a known condition such as a component that is listed on the airplane's Minimum Equipment List (MEL).

Date	Operator	Flight	City	State	Country	Make	Model	Series
9/29/1959	Braniff Airways	542	Buffalo	Texas	United States	Lockheed	L-188 Electra
3/17/1960	Northwest Airlines	710	Cannelton	Indiana	United States	Lockheed	L-188 Electra
6/23/1967	Mohawk Airlines	40	Blossburg	Pennsylvania	United States	British Aircraft Corporation	BAC 1-11
12/29/1972	Eastern Airlines	401	Miami	Florida	United States	Lockheed	L-1011
3/3/1974	Turk Hava	TK981	Paris		France	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10
3/1/1978	Continental Airlines	603	Los Angeles	California	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10	10
5/25/1979	American Airlines	191	Chicago	Illinois	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10
7/23/1983	Air Canada	143	Gimli	Manitoba	Canada	Boeing	767	233
4/28/1988	Aloha Airlines	243	Maui	Hawaii	United States	Boeing	737	200
2/24/1989	United Airlines	811	Honolulu	Hawaii	United States	Boeing	747	122
7/19/1989	United Airlines	232	Sioux City	Iowa	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10
5/26/1991	Lauda Air	NG004	Bangkok		Thailand	Boeing	767	300ER
9/11/1991	Continental Express	2574	Eagle Lake	Texas	United States	Embraer	EMB-120RT
7/6/1996	Delta Airlines	1288	Pensacola	Florida	United States	McDonnell Douglas	MD-88	1288
7/17/1996	Trans World Airlines	800	Long Island	New York	United States	Boeing	747	100
10/31/1996	TAM	402	Sao Paulo		Brazil	Fokker	100
8/24/2001	Air Transat	TSC236	Lajes	Azores	Portugal	Airbus	A330	243
5/25/2002	China Airlines	CI611	Makung		Penghu Island	Boeing	747	200
11/6/2002	Luxair	LG9642/LH2420	Luxembourg		Luxembourg	Fokker	F27 Mk 050
8/14/2005	Helios Airways	52	Hellas		Greece	Boeing	737	300
9/3/2010	United Parcel Service	6	Dubai		United Arab Emirates	Boeing	747	44AF
11/4/2010	Qantas	32	Batam Island		Indonesia	Airbus	A380	842
4/29/2013	National Airlines	102	Bagram		Afghanistan	Boeing	747	400 BCF

Unintended Effects

This is a situation where an initiative, change, new process, or other activity intended to improve something actually produces, in addition to the improvement, an undesirable outcome. The undesirable outcome may not manifest itself for many years and may not be related to the condition being improved, but an undesirable outcome occurs that would not have otherwise happened. It also underscores the complex interdependence that all actions have the potential for when assessing issues concerning the safety of the commercial fleet.

Date	Operator	Flight	City	State	Country	Make	Model	Series
5/2/1953	British Overseas Airways Corporation	783	Calcutta		India	de Havilland	DH-106 Comet
1/10/1954	British Overseas Airways Corporation	781	Elba		Italy	de Havilland	DH-106 Comet
4/8/1954	South African Airways	201	Naples		Italy	de Havilland	DH-106 Comet
9/29/1959	Braniff Airways	542	Buffalo	Texas	United States	Lockheed	L-188 Electra
3/17/1960	Northwest Airlines	710	Cannelton	Indiana	United States	Lockheed	L-188 Electra
1/18/1960	Capital Airlines	20	Charles City	Virginia	United States	Vickers-Armstrongs	Viscount 700
11/23/1962	United Airlines	297	Ellicott City	Maryland	United States	Vickers-Armstrongs	Viscount 745
2/12/1963	Northwest Airlines	705	Miami	Florida	United States	Boeing	720B
3/5/1967	Lake Central Airlines	527	Marseilles	Ohio	United States	Convair	340
1/18/1969	United Airlines	266	Los Angeles	California	United States	Boeing	727	22C
12/29/1972	Eastern Airlines	401	Miami	Florida	United States	Lockheed	L-1011
3/27/1977	KLM	4805	Tenerife	Canary Islands	Spain	Boeing	747	206B
3/27/1977	Pan American World Airways	1736	Tenerife	Canary Islands	Spain	Boeing	747	121
5/14/1977	Dan-Air Services		Lusaka		Zambia	Boeing	707	300
5/25/1979	American Airlines	191	Chicago	Illinois	United States	McDonnell Douglas	DC-10
8/22/1985	British Airtours	KT28M	Manchester		England	Boeing	737	236
5/26/1991	Lauda Air	NG004	Bangkok		Thailand	Boeing	767	300ER
10/31/1996	TAM	402	Sao Paulo		Brazil	Fokker	100
8/24/2001	Air Transat	TSC236	Lajes	Azores	Portugal	Airbus	A330	243
5/25/2002	China Airlines	CI611	Makung		Penghu Island	Boeing	747	200
8/14/2005	Helios Airways	52	Hellas		Greece	Boeing	737	300
8/20/2007	China Airlines	120	Okinawa		Japan	Boeing	737	800
1/17/2008	British Airways	38	London		England	Boeing	777	236ER

Last updated: Friday, April 18, 2025

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Transport Airplane: Common Theme Accidents

U.S. Department of Transportation