A China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 crashed into a mountain today, March 21. The plane was carrying 133 passengers from Kunming to Guangzhou, reported Chinese state television.
The plane was flying from the southwestern city of Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, to Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, bordering Hong Kong.
The Boeing 737 family of jetliners is among the most popular aircraft used in the world. The family consists of the Boeing 737 Original (737-100/200), Boeing 737 Classic (737-300/-400/-500), Boeing 737 Next Generation (737-600/-700/-800/-900) and Boeing 737 MAX (737 MAX 7/8/200/9/10).
The Classic and Original had a design flaw in a power control unit (PCU), which resulted in many accidents, while the MAX was grounded worldwide following two crashes in 2020.
Over 10,000 Boeing 737s have been sold worldwide and the family has had a significant number of incidents in its history. These include nearly 200 hull losses, five hijackings/bombings/missile attacks and seven ground accidents.
Here are some of the worst incidents involving a Boeing 737-800:
September 30, 2006: Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907
During a flight between Manaus, Brazil, to Brasília and Rio de Janeiro, an 18-day-old 737-800 collided mid-air with an Embraer ‘Legacy’ executive jet at 37,000 feet killing all 149 passengers and sixcrew aboard the 737.
May 5, 2007: Kenya Airways Flight 507
Operating on the Abidjan-Douala-Nairobi passenger service line, the aircraft crashed after taking off from Douala on the second leg of its journey. The plane banked 118 degrees to the right and crashed due to pilot error, killing 114 passengers and crew.
January 25, 2010: Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409
An international flight from Beirut to Addis Ababa crashed into the Mediterranean shortly after the take-off from the Rafic Hariri International Airport. The flight impacted the sea and resulted in the death of all 90 people on board.
May 22, 2010: Air India Express Flight 812
The flight was landing in Mangalore after taking off from Dubai but due to unstable approach and pilot error, the plane slid off the runway and crashed into the ravine below. Of the 160 passengers and six crew members on board, 158 were killed.
March 19, 2016: Flydubai Flight 981
Flying from Dubai International Airport, in the United Arab Emirates, to Rostov-on-Don Airport, Russia, the flight crashed during an aborted landing, which resulted in the deaths of all 62 passengers and crew on board.
January 8, 2020: Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752
In the midst of heightened tensions between Iran and the West, the flight was mistaken for a cruise missile. As a result, after taking off from the Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, it was shot using SAMs by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). All 176 passengers and crew were killed.
August 7, 2020: Air India Express Flight 1344
A part of the Vande Bharat mission to return expatriated Indians to the homeland during the COVID-19 pandemic, heavy rain and tailwind caused the aircraft to slide down the runway at Calicut International Airport and down a hill. Nineteen passengers and both pilots were killed while four cabin crew members and 165 passengers survived.
