Midair Collisions
2,382 occurrences · 1,212 fatal · 8,312 fatalities · 1949–2026
What it is
A midair collision occurs when two aircraft in flight strike each other, most often in the vicinity of an airport where multiple aircraft are converging on the same runway environment, or in uncontrolled airspace where aircraft are not receiving separation services from air traffic control. It is distinct from a ground collision, which involves aircraft that are taxiing or parked rather than airborne.
Why it happens
The common thread is a failure of separation, whether through a lack of radio communication in uncontrolled airspace, a pilot or controller error in a busy traffic pattern, or simply the limits of a "see and avoid" approach when a converging aircraft is difficult to spot against a cluttered background. Small, uncontrolled, or non-towered airfields carry more of this risk than major airports with radar coverage and continuous air traffic control separation.
How the industry defends against it
Traffic collision avoidance systems (TCAS) on transport-category aircraft independently detect nearby transponder-equipped traffic and issue resolution advisories that instruct crews to climb or descend, entirely separate from air traffic control. Radar coverage, mandatory transponder use in busier controlled airspace, and standardized traffic-pattern procedures at towered airports add further layers of separation beyond visual lookout alone.
What this means for passengers
Airline traffic operates almost entirely within radar-monitored, controlled airspace with mandatory separation and TCAS as a backstop, which is why midair collisions involving scheduled commercial flights are rare. Most of the accidents in this database involve general-aviation aircraft operating in uncontrolled airspace or in the traffic pattern of smaller airfields, where "see and avoid" remains the primary means of separation.
Aircraft families
- McDonnell Douglas DC-914
- Boeing 72714
- Lockheed C-130 Hercules9
- Boeing B-52 Stratofortress9
- Boeing 7377
- Boeing 7476
- Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker5
- Boeing 7075
- Airbus A3203
- Airbus A3193
Countries
- United States1,552
- France72
- Switzerland60
- Germany50
- Canada45
- United Kingdom36
- Chile36
- Brazil28
- South Africa12
- Spain11
Notable investigated accidents
- 1996-11-12 — Saudi Arabian Airlines - SAUDIA (312 fatalities)
- 1983-09-01 — Korean Air (269 fatalities)
- 2020-01-09 — Boeing-737-800 (176 fatalities)
- 1971-07-30 — All Nippon Airways (162 fatalities)
- 1992-12-22 — Libyan Arab Airlines (157 fatalities)
- 2006-09-29 — GOL Transportes Aéreos (154 fatalities)
- 1973-03-05 — DC 9 /30 and CV 990.30 A, Spantax (144 fatalities)
- 1973-03-05 — DC 9 /30 and CV 990.30 A (144 fatalities)
- 1978-09-25 — Pacific Southwest (137 fatalities)
- 1993-02-08 — Iran Airtour (131 fatalities)
- 1976-09-10 — Inex-Adria Airways (113 fatalities)
- 2001-10-08 — Scandinavian Airlines System - SAS (110 fatalities)
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.