Every rule in aviation was written in blood. These are the crashes that changed how the world flies.
1956
Two airliners collided over the Grand Canyon in uncontrolled airspace. The public outcry led to a single federal agency controlling US airspace with radar coverage.
Caused by: Grand Canyon mid-air collision →1977
The deadliest accident ever exposed how cockpit hierarchy silenced doubts. CRM training now teaches every crew member to speak up, and "takeoff" is only said when actually cleared.
Caused by: Tenerife airport disaster →1978
The crew circled troubleshooting a gear light until the fuel ran out. United became the first airline to adopt CRM training.
Caused by: United 173 fuel exhaustion →1978
Mid-air collisions like PSA 182 drove the development of TCAS, which tells pilots to climb or descend to avoid other aircraft.
Caused by: PSA 182 over San Diego →1985
A microburst slammed the jet into the ground on approach. Airports got Doppler weather radar and jets got predictive wind-shear alerts.
Caused by: Delta 191 microburst →1988
Metal fatigue ripped off part of the fuselage. Regulators introduced mandatory inspections for high-cycle older aircraft.
Caused by: Aloha 243 roof tear-off →1996
After the deadliest mid-air collision, India required collision-avoidance systems on aircraft using its airspace.
Caused by: Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision →1998
Flammable insulation fed a fire above the cockpit. Its use was banned and wiring standards were tightened.
Caused by: Swissair 111 in-flight fire →2002
One crew followed the controller instead of TCAS. Rules now state that a TCAS instruction always takes priority.
Caused by: Überlingen mid-air collision →2009
Frozen speed sensors and a high-altitude stall led to new pitot tubes and mandatory stall and upset recovery training.
Caused by: Air France 447 →2015
The co-pilot locked the captain out. Many authorities required two crew in the cockpit at all times and strengthened medical checks.
Caused by: Germanwings 9525 →2019
Two crashes linked to MCAS grounded the MAX worldwide for 20 months and reshaped how aircraft are certified.
Caused by: Ethiopian 302 / Lion Air 610 →