Realizing the gravity of entrusting our lives to pilots when we board a plane can be a sobering realization. Despite advances in aviation technology and safety measures, human error remains a significant factor in aviation accidents. While such incidents are statistically rare, they underscore the critical importance of pilot skills and adherence to safety protocols. Reviewing some of the worst pilot mistakes compiled by MailOnline, it’s clear that misjudgments or oversights can have devastating consequences for both passengers and crew. From cockpit distractions to mechanical errors exacerbated by poor judgment, each case serves as a stark reminder of the weight of responsibility that aircraft commanders carry.
Every moment we board an airplane, we give our whole life to the pilot. It’s a scary thought considering the vast majority of crashes are caused by human error rather than any other factor. Although these events are still incredibly rare—roughly one in 11 million—there have been horrific cases of preventable disasters in the past because the pilot made serious mistakes.
MailOnline has compiled this list of the worst pilot mistakes ever to lead to a plane crash. Perhaps the funniest of them was when the children of co-pilot and co-pilot Jaroslav Kudrinsky played with the controls. The catastrophic crash occurred on March 23, 1994, aboard an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Kong Kong.
The downed Airbus A310 disaster in Siberia claimed the lives of all 75 passengers.
Mr. Kudrinsky welcomed Yana, 12, and Eldar, 15, into the cockpit in the middle of the night, according to later cockpit recordings. Both were allowed to fiddle with the controls while sitting in the captain’s chair, even when the plane was on autopilot. But Eldar had to hold down the control column for a full thirty seconds to return the machine to manual mode. The captain and co-pilot returned to their seats and reached for the controls, but it was too late.
All on board died when the plane crashed into the mountains below. 43 of the 58 people on board Trans-Asia Flight 235 died after the plane crashed into a Taiwan highway bridge on February 4, 2015, after the captain had spoken some of his last words. According to an investigation by Taiwan’s Aviation Safety Board, the plane had barely taken off from Taipei’s Songshan Airport when its engine failed.
A fellow pilot was also killed, and the pilot made a mistake and accidentally shut down the other working engine, causing the plane to bank sharply, strike the Huandong Viaduct, and then crash into the Keelung River below.
The pilot and co-pilot were sentenced to ten years in prison in March 2009 for their role in the deaths of sixteen passengers aboard Tuninter Flight 1153, which crashed into the Mediterranean Sea in 2005. The crew, Captain Shafik Al Gharbi and co. -pilot Ali Kebaier Lassoued, was accused of praying instead of calling for emergency help and plunging the plane into a lake when it had a mechanical failure and ran out of fuel.
The Guardian claims Mr Gharbi was heard calling on “Allah and his prophet Muhammad” for help in cockpit recordings played in court. There is evidence to suggest that the crew made several attempts to avert disaster before giving up in panic. The plane was heading to Bari.
After being rescued from the ocean, 23 of the 49 passengers on the plane, which was flying from Djerba, Tunisia, to Bari, Italy, survived. When two large planes collided, it was the worst aviation disaster in history, killing 583 people all due to communication errors. In March 1977, KLM Flight 1736 and Pan Am Flight 1736, two Boeing 747s, collided at Tenerife Airport. When the KLM plane attempted to take off, the Pan Am plane was still on the runway. This led to miscommunication between the flight crew and air traffic control, which ultimately caused the tragedy.
They couldn’t see each other that day because of the thick fog. 248 passengers and crew died on the KLM airliner, and 326 passengers and nine crew members died on the Pan Am.
The remaining fifty-four passengers on board the Pan Am plane, including the captain and seven crew members, survived. On July 28, 2010, a domestic airliner was shot down in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, killing all 146 passengers and six crew members. The incident could have been avoided if the plane’s co-pilot had pointed out the captain’s repeated mistakes, but according to a November 2011 statement by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, the captain “lost confidence” and was “humiliated”. ” to his supervisor throughout the flight.
The captain was accused of speaking to his co-pilot in a “rude, snobbish and contrary manner” several times during the flight. He then ignored ATC’s weather warnings and said, “Let him say what he wants.” It wasn’t until the disaster that his co-pilot confronted him.
Heavy monsoon weather caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft, causing him to panic. As his co-pilot did not intervene to save the aircraft, it crashed into the Margalla Hills.
The most important mistake made by the pilots of Air Florida Flight 90 from Washington, DC to Fort Lauderdale, Florida before the January 13, 1982 crash was most likely forgetting to activate the de-icing equipment. Not only did the crew take off in a snowstorm, but they also made the stupid choice to use “reverse thrust” to melt their own ice rather than returning to the gate for proper de-icing. They even proceeded to take off after realizing there was a power problem.
The plane crashed into the Potomac River thirty seconds after takeoff. Of the 79 passengers on board, only five survived and four people who were hit on the ground were killed.
When an Eastern Airlines Tristar crashed into the Florida Everglades on December 29, 1972, 75 passengers survived, while 101 people—including the captain—were killed. It happened when the co-pilot and captain were distracted by a blown light bulb at the end of a flight from JFK, New York, to Miami. They were investigating a malfunctioning undercarriage indicator light when someone inadvertently pushed the lever, knocking out the plane’s autopilot.
These chilling reports of aviation disasters underscore the vital role pilots play in the safety of air travel. From tragic accidents caused by human error to the devastating consequences of misjudgment and distraction, each incident serves as a stark reminder of the immense responsibility placed on those in the cockpit. The loss of life and devastation following these accidents underscores the need for constant vigilance, adherence to safety protocols, and rigorous training in the aviation industry. As passengers, we place our trust in the hands of pilots every time we board an aircraft, stressing the need to ensure the highest standards of professionalism, competence, and attention from flight crews. Through thorough investigations, lessons learned and continuous improvement in aviation safety, the industry strives to prevent such tragedies and uphold its commitment to the well-being of passengers worldwide.