Devil in the air: Aviation accidents spill fear into 2025
Sopuruchi Onwuka
No one survived when an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River, in what analysts record as the deadliest plane crash in the United States in the past 25 years.
According to official statements, the jet liner with 64 people on board was preparing to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport when the Army helicopter with three soldiers on board flew into the its path despite warnings from the air traffic control.
While emergency rescue measures were still active in response to the Potomac crash last Wednesday, an air ambulance slammed into a busy intersection in Philadelphia on Friday night, killing a child who had just undergone treatment at a hospital, the mother, the air ambulance crew, and at least one person on the ground.
Rescue operations at the site of the Potomac River crash
At least three other people remained hospitalized Saturday with injuries, and officials said it could be days until the full toll of the dead and injured is clear.
Also last Wednesday, small plane crashed and burst into flames at a field near a highway in Santa Barbara, California but an officer braved the to rescue a 29 year-old pilot and his 33 year-old passenger.
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the small plane, a Cirrus SR22, crashed near the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport at around 2:15 p.m.
Nonetheless, the deadly mid-air collision between the American Airlines passenger plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, and Friday’s crash of a medical jet into a residential neighbourhood in Philadelphia have left the aviation community in trepidation.
Authorities say the Potomac River crash was the deadliest in the U.S. since November 12, 2001, when a jet slammed into a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, just after takeoff from Kennedy Airport. The crash killed all 260 people on board and five people on the ground.
However, the incident might be significant just for the United States. But it also falls into pattern of global aviation incidents in the past months, which marked 2024 as a turbulent year in the industry that connects men, goods and services across the world.
Thus, the news of air crashes is not limited to the United States. Investigations into air travel incidents currently engage all regulatory agencies in the global aviation industry as incidents have continued to be major features across all continents of the world.
From Sudan to Brazil, Russia, Europe, Nepal, Japan and even South Korea flight incidents involving private jets, chattered planes, military aircraft and even drones are abounding with tales of incidents; with differing degrees of damages to equipment, injuries and fatalities.
Sudan crash
Just the penultimate week, six people were injured after ‘unexpected movement’ forces United flight to return to Lagos after it successfully took off and crew members were already offering in-flight services. Four passengers and two flight attendants were sent to the hospital for examination after the plane landed safely in Lagos. Nigeria and US aviation authorities are currently working to understand the cause of the incident.
Earlier in October 2024, a cargo Ilyushin Il-76 operated by New Way Cargo Airlines was shot down over the Darfur region of western Sudan by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during the Sudanese civil war. All five people aboard were killed.
The aircraft was reportedly hit by missiles fired by the RSF, while it was flying over Darfur.
Videos of the crash show the plane on fire diving towards the ground before crashing. The RSF claimed to have recovered the plane’s black boxes and some documents it was carrying including a safety pamphlet and a Russian passport.
The Russian embassy in Sudan stated that it was in contact with the Sudanese Government after the accident, since the plane was carrying two Russian nationals.
There have also been other aviation crashes and close calls in 2024.
The Oracle Today reports that the most recent being a Jeju Air flight 7C2216 on 29 December on a flight from the Thai capital Bangkok. The plane was carrying 181 people when it crashed upon landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea, with only two survivors among the crew.
The Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air took off from Bangkok with 175 passengers and 6 crewmembers for a passenger flight to Muan, South Korea. The plane landed at Muan’s airport with all gear up, sliding on fuselage and engines. With no tyres on ground and functional brakes, the plane , overran the runway and collided with the ILS localizer antenna array that was installed on a concrete platform about 300 meters (1000 feet) past the runway end.
South Korean crash
Upon impact, the aircraft disintegrated and burst into flames, while the tail separated near the beginning of the vertical stabilizer and remained relatively intact. Only two flight attendants seated in the tail section survived the accident. The rest 179 people were killed in the ghastly incident.
An observer on the ground reported the aircraft flying through a flock of birds, followed by two or three distinct pop sounds, likely indicating birds being ingested into the engines. Flames erupted from the right engine as the aircraft attempted to climb but appeared unable to gain sufficient altitude, forcing the opposite-direction emergency landing.
The Boeing model involved in the crash is a B737-800 that had 189 seats and had completed 2,136 flights over the past year. The aircraft was manufactured in 2009.
There was also the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash which killed 38 people died after the flight, which had been due to land in Russia, crash-landed in Kazakhstan on 25th December, 2024.
Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus when it came under attack from Russina forces fighting in Ukraine, and was forced to divert. The plane later crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan after flying east across the Caspian Sea.
Findings strongly suggest that the aircraft was struck by a missile, causing severe damage to its rear section.
In Vilnius, Lithuania, a Boeing 737-400 operated by Swiftair on behalf of DHL impacted ground about 0.87nm (1,6 km) short of the runway threshold. It then skidded for around 250 meters before colliding with a residential building and erupting into flames. One crew member was killed, three crew members including both pilots were injured.
In Brazil, an ATR-72-212A aircraft operated by Voepass Linhas Aereas had 58 passengers and four crewmembers suddenly spun out of control and crashed into a residential area in Vila Santa Fé, Brazil. The plane hit the ground at high speed and burst into flames, resulting in the tragic loss of all 62 occupants. No residential houses were struck, and there were no injuries reported on the ground.
Crash in Brazil
According to official reports, the ATR 72 proceeded normally until two minutes before the crash. As the aircraft descended through FL170, communication was abruptly lost. No emergency calls were made, and the pilots did not report any adverse weather conditions. The plane plummeted, apparently in a flat spin.
Five months prior, the aircraft had reportedly experienced hydraulic issues and a tail strike during landing, resulting in structural damage. It was said to have been out of service for four months and returned to operation just one month before the accident. Passengers later reported that the air conditioning system was malfunctioning, causing excessive heat onboard.
In Kolomna, Russia, a Sukhoi Superjet 100-95 operated by Gazpromavia took off three crewmembers when it lost height and crashed in a wooded area, broke up and burst into flames about seven minutes afterk. All the 3 occupants were killed.
Russian crash
In Kinshasa, Congo, a Boeing 737-300 freighter operated by Serve Air Cargo veered off the runway while landing at Kinshasa airport. There were no injuries, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Also in Malakal, South Sudan, a Boeing 727-200 operated by Safe Air took a cargo flight with seven crewmembers touched down short off the runway, skidded and collided with an MD-82, which has had an accident earlier on Feb 9th 2024. One crewmember was injured and both aircraft received substantial damage.
The Boeing 727 had experienced problems prior to landing and was performing an emergency landing. The plane was too low on approach, touched down a few meters short of the runway causing both main gear struts to collapse. The plane veered off the runway and collided with an MD-82, which was stored there damaged as it also touched short of the runway 1 month and a half earlier. Safe Air Company is currently on the blacklist of airlines banned from flying in the European Union.
In Tokyo, Japan, an Airbus A350-900 operated by JAL Japan Airlines took off from Sapporo 367 passengers and 12 crewmembers to Tokyo where it landed in nighttime conditions but collided with Japanese Coast Guard aircraft on the runway upon touchdown. The nose landing gear collapsed and the A350 burst into flames. The plane came to a stop down on the runway and was evacuated. All the 379 occupants escaped, and the A350 burned down.
Tokyo crash
Seventeen occupants of the A350 received injuries. The Coast Guard aircraft, a DHC-8-300, which was on its way to transport supplies to Niigata Air Base in response to the earthquake that happened in Japan the day before, also burst into flames which seriously injured the captain. Five other occupants were killed.
According to the ATC transcript, The Coast guards DHC-8 was instructed to taxi to holding point C1. The crew was thus supposed to wait at this point, which is located just before entering the runway 34R. 1 minute and 30 seconds later, the JAL A350 was cleared to land on the runway 34R. For unknown reason, the Coast guards DHC-8 entered the runway 34R and waited there.
The weather conditions at the time of the accident were good, with good visibility, few clouds, and low wind. The three pilots in the JAL A350 cockpit were unable to see the DH8C, therefore a go around was never considered. Thus, the A350 landed on runway 34R and collided with the Coast Guard DHC-8.
Also last year in Dakar, Senegal, a Boeing 737-300 operated by Transair Senegal on behalf of Air Senegal took off with 79 passengers and 6 crewmembers for a flight to Bamako, Mali.
According to official reports, the plane was accelerating for takeoff from Dakar airport when the crew rejected takeoff due to a hydraulic defect. The Boeing 737 veered left off the runway and came to a stop on soft ground. A fire broke out on the left wing but was quickly extinguished by emergency services. Emergency escape slides were deployed, enabling all occupants to evacuate. 11 individuals sustained minor injuries.
Dafur crash
A passenger recounted that during the first takeoff attempt, the aircraft’s nose lifted but quickly descended, causing the plane to slow down. Three minutes later, a second attempt was made. This time, the plane briefly lifted off but soon fell back to the ground. The witness emphasized that the plane did not merely overshoot the runway but actually fell after becoming airborne. Other passengers corroborated this account, estimating that the plane fell right after lift-off.
Also in 2024, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 reportedly suffered a mid-air fuselage separation, prompting an emergency landing. The flight, traveling from Oregon to California with 171 passengers and six crew members, landed safely with no injuries or fatalities.
Also in 2024, a Russian a Russian military aircraft transporting Ukrainian prisoners of war was shot down by a Ukrainian missile near Belgorod. All 74 people on board, including six crew members and 65 Ukrainian troops, lost their lives in the crash.
Last May, a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 faced exceptionally severe turbulence, described as some of the worst ever experienced by the airline’s pilots. The incident resulted in one passenger suffering a fatal heart attack, while over 40 others sustained serious injuries, including fractures and head trauma.
In Nepal, a small passenger, CRJ-200 aircraft, belonging to Nepal’s Saurya Airlines, crashed and caught fire while taking off from Kathmandu to the Pokhara airport on July 24, killing 18 people on board and leaving only the captain.
In Malawi, Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine others, including former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri, were killed on June 10 when the military plane with which they were travelling from Lilongwe to Mzuzu, crashed.
Also in Thailand, a domestic charter flight TFT209, a Cessna Caravan C208B registered to Thai Flying Service Co, crashed 100 km southeast of Bangkok on August 23, killing all nine people onboard.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and six other passengers and crew of a U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter died in a crash on May 19 in mountainous terrain in the Varzeqan region, near the Azerbaijan border.
Also, six people were killed in Canada after a Northwestern Air plane carrying global miner Rio Tinto’s workers crashed near Fort Smith in Canada’s remote Northwest Territories (NWT) on Jan. 23. Four passengers and two North Western Air Lease crew members died in the crash, while one passenger survived.
Also in Singapore, one passenger died of a suspected heart attack and 30 were injured after a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER plane from London to Singapore hit severe turbulence on May 21, flinging passengers and crew around the cabin and forcing the plane to land in Bangkok.
The list of air incidents in the past 14 months is endless and may not be documented a short report. According to the Aviation Safety Network, affiliate agencies recorded significant 5,082 incident occurrences in its safety database in 2024 alone. The number translates to about 14 incidents each day of 2024. The report added that the incidents carried 1573 fatalities!
Although the investigations are ongoing on the incidents nearly every region of the world, many questions are still unanswered as the disasters weigh heavily on of the future and safety of air travel.
Experts regularly highlight that plane travel is overwhelmingly safe, but the crowded airspace around the world as well as amateur aviation, weak regulation and maintenance lapses appear to pose significant challenge to international aviation safety.
The Oracle Today reports that the high frequency of air travel incidents and the high scale fatality of their impacts have breached of safety records of world’s biggest airlines, the reputation of aircraft manufacturers and the integrity of the world’s biggest airline.
The situation graphically amplifies the need for harmonization and strengthening of safety regulations that rule the world’s most advanced air spaces across continents of the planet.
Such a coordinated global response has become urgent especially now that the devil seems to have taken position in the winds in the past 12 months, attacking humanity with minor and sometimes funny technical glitches that send planes falling altitudes and unleash fatal impacts.
The plunging planes post gloomy and ghastly scenario and demystify air transport systems that are still the safest, fastest and the most convenient means of international travel, trade and logistics.
