The 25 Most Noteworthy Terrorist Attacks
Rank Date Airplane Flight No. Airline Company Name No. of victims Location Cause
1 June 6, 1985 Boeing 747 VT-EFO Air-India 329 North Atlantic Baggage explosion
2 Jan. 21, 1988 Boeing 747 N739PA Pan Am 259 Lockerby, Scotland Baggage explosion
3 Sept. 19, 1989 DC-10 N54629 UTA 171 Niger Baggage explosion
4 Nov. 23, 1996 Boeing 767 ET-AIZ Ethiopian Airlines 125 Comoro Islands Emergency landing after hijacking
5 Nov. 29, 1987 Boeing 707 HL7406 Korean Air 115 Indian Ocean Explosion in passenger compartment
6-7 Sept. 23, 1983 Boeing 737-200 A4O-BK Gulf Air 112 Mina Jebel Ali Baggage explosion
6-7 May 7, 2002 MD-80 B-2138 China Northern 112 Yellow Sea Cockpit explosion
8 Nov. 27, 1989 Boeing 727 HK-1803 Avianca 107 Bogota Explosion in passenger compartment (or CWT explosion?)
9 Dec. 4, 1977 Boeing 737-200 9M-MBD Malaysian Airlines 100 Johor Strait, Malaysia Murder of pilot
10 Sept. 11, 2001 Boeing 767 N334AA American Airlines 92 New York Collision with World Trade Center
11-13 June 6, 1972 Convair CV-880 VR-HFZ Cathay Pacific 81 Pleiku, Vietnam Explosion in passenger compartment
11-13 Jan. 1, 1976 Boeing 720 OD-AFT MEA 81 Saudi Arabia Baggage explosion
11-13 May 18, 1973 Tu-104 SSSR-42411 Aeroflot 81 Chita, USSR Explosion in passenger compartment
14 Sept. 15, 1974 Boeing 727 XV-NJC Air Vietnam 75 Phan Rang, Vietnam Emergency landing after explosion in passenger
compartment
15 Oct. 12, 1967 DH-106 Comet G-ARCO BEA 66 Rhodes, Greece Explosion in passenger compartment
16 Sept. 11, 2001 Boeing 767 N612UA United Airlines 65 New York Collision with World Trade Center
17 Sept. 11, 2001 Boeing 757 N644AA American Airlines 64 Washington, DC Collision with pentagon
18 Dec. 25, 1986 Boeing 737-200 YI-AGJ Iraqi Airways 63 Saudi Arabia Emergency landing after explosions in
passenger compartment and cockpit
19 July 8, 1965 Douglas DC-6 CF-CUQ Canadian Pacific 52 Dog Creek, BC, Canada Explosion in restroom
20 Feb. 21, 1970 Convair CV-990 HB-ICD Swissair 47 Zurich Emergency landing after baggage explosion
21 Aug. 25, 2004 Тu-154B2 RA-85556 Sibir 46 Rostov Region, Russia Unknown
22 May 22, 1962 Boeing 707 N70775 Continental Airlines 45 Unionville, MI, USA Explosion in restroom
23-24 Nov. 1, 1955 Douglas DC-6 N37559 United Airlines 44 Longmont, CO, USA Explosion in baggage
23-24 Sept. 11, 2001 Boeing 757 N591UA United Airlines 44 Somerset, PA, USA Loss of control after hijacking
25 Aug. 25, 2004 Тu-134А RA-65080 Volga Avia 43 Tula Region, Russia hexogen explosives
express  flt 1303
26 Aug. 25, 2004 TU-154A RA-85556 Siberian Airlines 46 Rostov Oblast Russia flt 1047 (hexogen explosives)
27 Dec 24, 1999     Indian Airlines 814 1/173pax Kathmandu Nepal Taliban negotiated (hijackers escaped)

Causes

An accident survey [1] (http://www.planecrashinfo.com/cause.htm) of 2,147 airplane accidents from 1950 through 2004 determined the causes to be as follows:

37%  Pilot error
33%  Undetermined or missing in the record
13%  Mechanical failure
7%  Weather
5%  Sabotage (bombs, hijackings, shoot-downs)
4%  Other human error (air traffic controller error, improper loading of aircraft, improper maintenance, fuel contamination, etc.)
1%  Other causes

The survey excluded military, private, and charter aircraft.

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