As of 2026-10-12, American Airlines Flight 77 tops the list with 189 deaths.
- #1 American Airlines Flight 77 — 189 deaths
2001 hijacking of an airliner and subsequent deliberate crash into The Pentagon in Virginia, USA
American Airlines Flight 77 was an American domestic passenger flight from Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia to Los Angeles International Airport in California that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The hijacked Boeing 757 was deliberately crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., killing all 64 aboard the flight and another 125 in the building. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #2 1990 Guangzhou Baiyun airport collisions — 128 deaths
1990 aircraft collisions at Guangzhou airport
On 2 October 1990, a hijacked Boeing 737-200, operating Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301, collided with two other aircraft at the old Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport while attempting to land. The hijacked aircraft struck parked China Southwest Airlines Flight 4305 first, a Boeing 707, inflicting only minor damage, but then collided with CAAC Flight 3523, a Boeing 757 waiting to take off, flipping onto its back. A total of 128 people were killed, including seven of nine crew members and 75 of... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #3 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 — 125 deaths
1996 hijacking, water ditching of aircraft
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 was a scheduled international flight serving the route Addis Ababa–Nairobi–Brazzaville–Lagos–Abidjan. On 23 November 1996, the aircraft serving the flight, a Boeing 767, was hijacked en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi by three Ethiopians seeking asylum in Australia. The plane crash-landed in the Indian Ocean near Grande Comore, Comoros Islands, due to fuel exhaustion. Of those onboard, 125 of 175 died in the ditching, including all three hijackers and six... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #4 Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 — 100 deaths
1977 aviation hijacking
Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 was a scheduled domestic flight from Penang to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, operated by Malaysian Airline System (MAS). On the evening of 4 December 1977, the Boeing 737-200 aircraft flying the service crashed at Tanjung Kupang, Johor, Malaysia, while purportedly being diverted by hijackers to Singapore. It was the first fatal air crash for Malaysia Airlines, with all 93 passengers and 7 crew killed. It is also the deadliest aviation disaster to occur on... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #5 American Airlines Flight 11 — 92 deaths
9/11 hijacked passenger flight, hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center
American Airlines Flight 11 was an American domestic passenger flight from Logan International Airport in Boston to Los Angeles International Airport in California that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The hijacked airliner was deliberately crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center complex in New York City, killing all 92 people aboard the flight, and resulting in the deaths of more than 1,300 people... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #6 United Airlines Flight 175 — 65 deaths
9/11 hijacked passenger flight, hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center
United Airlines Flight 175 was an American domestic passenger flight from Logan International Airport in Boston to Los Angeles International Airport in California that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The hijacked airliner was deliberately crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center complex in New York City, killing all 65 people aboard the flight, and resulting in the deaths of more than 600 people in... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #7 EgyptAir Flight 648 — 58 deaths
airliner hijacking in November 1985
EgyptAir Flight 648 was a regularly scheduled international flight between Athens Ellinikon International Airport (Greece) and Cairo International Airport (Egypt). On 23 November 1985, a Boeing 737-200 airliner, servicing the flight was hijacked by the Palestinian terrorist organization Abu Nidal. The subsequent raid on the aircraft by Egyptian troops killed 56 of the 86 passengers, two of the three hijackers and two of the six crew. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #8 United Airlines Flight 93 — 44 deaths
9/11 hijacked passenger flight, attempted to hit the US Capitol or the White House
United Airlines Flight 93 was an American domestic passenger flight from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to San Francisco International Airport in California that was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The hijackers attempted to crash the plane into a federal government building in Washington, D.C., but the attack was thwarted due to a revolt by passengers and crew members attempting to regain control. This... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #9 Pan Am Flight 73 — 43 deaths
airliner hijacking
Pan Am Flight 73 was a scheduled passenger flight operated by Pan American World Airways from Bombay to New York City via Karachi and Frankfurt. On 5 September 1986, the Boeing 747-100 serving the flight, with 379 passengers and crew on board, was hijacked while on the ground at Karachi by four armed Palestinian militants affiliated with the Abu Nidal Organization. The cockpit crew escaped from the aircraft through an overhead hatch after being alerted to the situation by the flight attendants.... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #10 Miss Macao — 25 deaths
aircraft hijacking
Miss Macao (Chinese: 澳門小姐; Sidney Lau: O3 Moon4 Siu2 Je2) was a Catalina seaplane owned by Cathay Pacific and operated by subsidiary Macau Air Transport Company. On 16 July 1948 it was involved in the first hijacking of a commercial aircraft. Piracy for robbery and ransom was the motive. The aircraft crashed after the pilot was shot while resisting the attackers; 25 people died, including three hijackers, but one hijacker survived by jumping out of the airplane before impact. Read more on Wikipedia.
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