What are the reasons for a plane to crash?

Answer 1

There are many things that could cause a plane to crash and in most cases multiple things have to go wrong. Crashes can be caused by weather conditions, pilot error, air traffic controller error and electrical/mechanical failure, and hijacking. Here are some notable plane crashes with their causes.

• Pan Am Flight 1736/KLM Flight 4805, March 27, 1977: The small Los Rodeos airport at Tenerife was overcrowded with planes after a nearby major airport was closed due to a terrorist attack. Dense fog, poor communication with the air traffic controller, and an impatient KLM pilot led to KLM 4805 trying to take off while Pan Am 1736 was still on the runway. The two 747s collided on the runway, resulting in 583 deaths. Worst accident in aviation history.
• American Airlines Flight 191, May 25, 1979: Improper procedures during engine maintenance damaged the connection between the left engine and the wing of a DC-10. Over time the damage, which went unnoticed, worsened with each takeoff. Finally the engine fell off on take off, severing the hydraulic controls to the left wing and cutting power to several warning systems. The pilots, with no way of knowing of the severity of the failure, tried to pull up, causing the plane to roll over and crash, killing all 271 on board and another 2 on the ground.
• Japan Airlines Flight 123, August 12, 1985: Improper repair on a 747 left a weakened bulkhead in the rear of the plane. As the plane climbed to higher altitude and thus lower pressure, the bulkhead failed, causing explosive decompression. The vertical stabilizer (rudder) was torn off and the hydraulic fluid drained from the plane, leaving the control surfaces unusable. The pilots regained some control by adjusting engine power, but were unable to maintain it after lowering the landing gear. The crashed into the mountains, killing all but 4 of 524 on board.
• Germanwings Flight 9525, March 24, 2015: The suicidal co-pilot deliberately crashed the plane into the Alps, killing all 150 on board. Supervisors had allowed the co-pilot to fly despite some warnings about his mental health.
• Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, November 23, 1996: Hijackers stormed the cockpit of a 767 and demanded the pilot fly to Australia and refused to believe him when he said the plane did not have enough fuel. The pilot attempted to trick the pilots by flying down the African coast and then to the Comoros islands, but lost sight of the airport while fighting the hijackers and crashed into the water near a beach. Of the 175 on board, 125 were killed, including all 3 hijackers.