Thick black smoke rose from the crash site, which erupted into flames near the airport in Ahmedabad, a city with over 5 million residents and the capital of Gujarat.
The frequency of aircraft crashes and near misses has raised substantial concerns regarding air travel.
The incident in Ahmedabad was significantly more devastating than a midair collision that claimed 67 lives near Washington, DC, in January, marking the first major fatal crash on US soil since 2009. Other recent events include an airliner clipping another plane in February while taxiing at Seattle’s airport. In March, an American Airlines aircraft caught fire after landing in Denver, leading to 12 hospitalizations. Additionally, a sightseeing helicopter disintegrated and crashed into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey in April, resulting in six fatalities.
Also read | Ahmedabad plane crash live updates: ‘We are all devastated by tragedy in Ahmedabad’, says PM Modi
Federal authorities have sought to reassure passengers that flying is the safest form of transportation, supported by statistics. However, the multitude of negative headlines about aviation mishaps is garnering increased attention.
Here is a summary of some recent tragedies and incidents:
1. Over the past month, two small planes crashed near San Diego. A private jet crashed into a neighborhood in heavy fog, killing six people. The runway lights at that airport were reportedly out. A week later, another small plane crashed into the ocean shortly after takeoff, killing six more individuals.
2. The New York helicopter crash on April 10 took off from a downtown heliport. The flight lasted less than 18 minutes, following a path along the Manhattan skyline and toward the Statue of Liberty. Among the victims were a family from Spain celebrating a child’s ninth birthday.
3. On April 11, three people were killed and one was injured when a small plane crashed in Boca Raton, Florida, near a major interstate highway, causing a car to be pushed onto railroad tracks.
Also read | Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Possible factors behind the AI171 disaster that killed 241 on-board
4. In February, two small planes collided midair near an Arizona airport, resulting in the deaths of two individuals on one of the aircraft. Following the collision, one plane landed safely, while the other crashed near a runway and caught fire, near Marana Regional Airport close to Tucson.
5. A small commuter plane crashed in Alaska in early February, killing all ten occupants, marking one of the state’s deadliest aviation disasters in 25 years. Radar data indicated the plane rapidly lost altitude and speed, and the U.S. Coast Guard reported no distress signals were received.
6. A medical transport plane that had just taken off plunged into a Philadelphia neighborhood in late January, killing all six on board and two individuals on the ground. Approximately two dozen others were injured. The National Transportation Safety Board noted that the cockpit voice recorder likely hadn’t functioned for years, and the crew made no distress communications.
7. A collision between an American Airlines jet and a U.S. Army helicopter above the capital resulted in fatalities for all aboard both aircraft in late January. This incident marked the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. since 2001, when a jet crashed into a New York City neighborhood post-takeoff, killing 265 people total.
8. A jetliner operated by Jeju Air skidded off a runway and collided with a concrete fence, bursting into flames in late December in South Korea after apparently failing to deploy its landing gear. Of the 181 people on board, all but two were killed in one of the country’s gravest aviation catastrophes.
9. The American Airlines flight that caught fire at Denver International Airport in March had been diverted there due to reported engine vibrations following takeoff from Colorado Springs. As it taxied to the gate, an engine ignited, prompting an emergency evacuation with minor injuries reported. Investigations revealed a fuel leak and several incorrectly installed engine parts.
10. A single-engine aircraft carrying five people crashed and ignited in the parking lot of a retirement community near a small airport in Pennsylvania that same month. All onboard survived, but three individuals required treatment at a local burn center.
11. A Delta Air Lines jet flipped upon landing at Toronto’s Pearson Airport in February. While all 80 passengers survived, several sustained minor injuries. Witnesses and videos captured the moment the plane landed so harshly that its right wing was sheared off. Investigators planned to assess weather conditions and potential human error as factors.
12. Last month, two commercial flights had to abort their landings at Reagan National Airport due to an Army Black Hawk helicopter operating near the Pentagon. Following this event, the Army suspended all helicopter flights in the area. The aircraft involved belonged to the same unit that had collided with a passenger plane in January.
13. On the same day as the New York helicopter incident in April, a wingtip of an American Airlines plane struck another of the airline’s planes while taxiing at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. There were no injuries reported, despite multiple Congressional members being aboard.
14. A FedEx cargo plane made an emergency landing at a busy New Jersey airport in March after a bird strike led to an engine fire visible in the morning sky. It landed safely at Newark Liberty International Airport, with no injuries logged.
15. Pilots on a Southwest Airlines flight preparing to land at Chicago Midway Airport had to climb back into the sky in late February to avoid colliding with another aircraft that was on the runway without clearance. Video footage documented the aircraft approach before it abruptly ascended.
16. In early February, a Japan Airlines plane was taxiing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport when it seemingly clipped the tail of a parked Delta plane. No injuries were reported.
17. In early January, chaos ensued when a passenger aboard a JetBlue plane preparing for takeoff at Boston’s Logan International Airport opened an exit door over a wing, causing an emergency slide to deploy. Other passengers swiftly restrained the individual, and the flight was aborted.
