Safety · Causes

Aircraft Accident Causes

98,998 occurrences from official investigations, classified into the recurring causes of aviation accidents.

How to read these numbers

Occurrences — classified investigation records for this cause theme, not every accident that ever happened.
Fatalities — people killed in those classified records. They are not a ranking of which cause is “worse.”
Years — span of the public investigation file for this cause.

One accident can have several causes. Counts explain patterns — they are not a safety ranking.

13 causes

Powerplant

Flight path

Runway

Runway excursion
Occurrences
6,537
Fatalities
1,004
Years
1950–2026

Collision

Midair collision
Occurrences
2,305
Fatalities
8,231
Years
1949–2026

Airframe

Human

Maintenance error
Occurrences
7,684
Fatalities
2,708
Years
1953–2026

Weather

Counts are derived from official investigation records; one accident may involve several causes, and older or foreign records can be incomplete. This page explains patterns — it is not a safety ranking.