Airliner shootdown incidents have occurred since at least the 1930s, either intentionally or by accident. This chronological list shows instances of airliners being brought down by gunfire or missile attacksincluding during wartimerather than by terrorist bombings or sabotage of an airplane.

1930s

Kweilin incident

This incident is believed to be the first commercial passenger plane attacked by hostile forces. On 24 August 1938 – during the Second Sino-Japanese War – the Kweilin, a DC-2 jointly operated by China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) and Pan American World Airways, carrying 18 passengers and crew, was forced down by Japanese aircraft in Chinese territory just north of Hong Kong. 15 people died when the Kweilin, which made an emergency water landing to avoid the attack, was strafed by the Japanese and sunk in a river. The American pilot Hugh L. Woods and two others survived. Three prominent Chinese bankers, Hu Yun, Xu Xinliu (Singloh Hsu), and Wang Yumei, were among the dead. It was later believed to be an assassination attempt on Chinese president Sun Yat-sen's only son, Sun Fo, who was believed by the Japanese to be aboard but missed the flight. The plane was refurbished, renamed the Chungking, and was later involved in a second shootdown incident, in 1940.

1940s

Sabena OO-AUI OO-AUI, a Douglas DC-3-227B owned by Belgium airline Sabena was hit by anti-aircraft fire over Calais on a flight from Merville to London on May 23, 1940. The pilot made a forced landing near Arques, killing the navigator and injuring 2 passengers. The surviving crew and passengers were taken POW.

Kaleva

The Kaleva (registered OH-ALL) was a civilian Junkers Ju 52-3/mge passenger aircraft operated by Finnish carrier Aero O/Y, which was shot down by two Soviet Ilyushin DB-3 bombers on 14 June 1940, over the Baltic Sea while en route from Tallinn, Estonia to Helsinki, Finland.Virtualpilots – Tapauskaleva. Retrieved January 1, 2007. This occurred during the Interim Peace between Finland and the Soviet Union, three months after the end of the Winter War, and a year before the Continuation War began. A few minutes after taking off in Tallinn, Estonia the Kaleva was intercepted by Soviet DB-3s. The bombers opened fire with their machine guns and badly damaged the Kaleva, causing it to ditch in the Gulf of Finland, a few kilometers northeast of Keri lighthouse. All seven passengers and two crew members on board died.

Air France F-ARTD F-ARTD, a Dewoitine D.338 of Air France, was accidentally shot down by French anti-aircraft fire near Ouistreham on June 20, 1940. The sole occupant was killed.

Air France F-AQBA F-AQBA, another Dewoitine D.338 of Air France, was shot down by a Japanese fighter plane over the Gulf of Tonkin on July 7, 1940. All 4 occupants were killed.

Eurasia XXV XXV, a Junkers Ju 52 of Chinese airline Eurasia, was attacked by 3 Japanese fighters on a delivery flight near Kunming on October 26, 1940. The plane made a forced landing in a rice field and was strafed, but both occupants survived.

The Chungking

On 29 October 1940, the same DC-2 involved in the previous shootdown incident as Kweilin, now renamed Chungking, operated by CNAC, was destroyed by Japanese fighters at Changyi Airfield, Yunnan, China, after it made a scheduled landing and was coming to a stop. Nine people died, including the American pilot Walter "Foxie" Kent and Chinese architect Chang-Kan Chien. The plane caught fire and never flew again.

La Verrier La Verrier, an Air France SNCAC NC.223.4 mail plane, disappeared on the first leg of a flight from Marseille, to Damascus, with stopovers in Bizerte and Beirut on November 24, 1940. All 7 on board, including Jean Chiappe, and the pilot Henri Guillaumet, are presumed to have died. No wreckage has been recovered, the plane radioed they were hit by machine-gun fire before disappearing; it has been theorized they were shot down in the nearby Battle of Cape Spartivento that occurred on the same day.

KNILM PK-AFW PK-AFW, a Douglas DC-3-194C of Dutch Indies carrier KNILM, was attacked by Japanese military aircraft on January 24, 1942, during a cargo flight. The plane made a forced landing near Samarinda and all 3 occupants survived, but the plane was written off.

Corio

The Corio, a British Short Empire flying boat airliner, operated by Australian carrier Qantas, was shot down by Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service aircraft in the early days of the Pacific War during World War II off the coast of West Timor, Indonesia, on 30 January 1942. Thirteen occupants were killed. Captain Aubrey Koch, along with another crewman and three passengers, swam to shore and were rescued.

Circe The Circe (G-AETZ), another Short S.23 Empire operated by Qantas (leased from BOAC), was evacuating civilians and military personnel from Tjilatjap, Indonesia to Broome, Australia on February 28, 1942, was shot down 400 km (248.5 miles) south of Tjilatjap by a Japanese bomber on maritime patrol from Denpasar. All 22 occupants, 4 crew and 18 passengers, were killed.

KNILM PK-AFV

PK-AFV, also known as the PH-ALP Pelikaan (one of the KLM airliners that diverted during the German invasion of the Netherlands), was a Douglas DC-3 airliner operated by Dutch Indies airline KNILM from 1940. On 3 March 1942, while on a flight from Bandung, Netherlands East Indies, to Broome, Australia, with the well-known KLM captain Ivan Smirnov, the plane was attacked by three Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter planes; PK-AFV successfully landed on the beach near Broome with damage and an engine fire but was then strafed and the flight engineer and three passengers (including a baby) were killed. Smirnov had a consignment of diamonds, worth at the time an estimated £150,000–300,000 (in an approximate £– million), in his possession. The vast majority of these were lost or stolen following the crash.

KNILM PK-ALO PK-ALO, another Douglas DC-3 of KNILM, was also attacked on March 3, 1942. While landing at Broome, Australia, Japanese A6M fighters fired at the aircraft. Pilot E.E. Hulsebos landed safely but the fighters attacked again, causing the aircraft to burn out; no one onboard was killed.

Air France F-AREJ F-AREJ, an Air France Lioré-et-Olivier H.246.1, was attacked by RAF Hawker Hurricanes on a passenger flight from Marseille to Algiers on August 13, 1942. The damaged aircraft managed to arrive at Algiers harbor but sank after landing. 4 passengers were killed.

LATI I-TELO I-TELO, a Savoia-Marchetti SM-75 of LATI, was shot down on a military flight from Tunis, Tunisia to Castelvetrano, Sicily, Italy on November 15, 1942, killing all 4 on board. It is unknown who shot down the plane.

BOAC G-AGEJ G-AGEJ, a BOAC Lockheed 18-40 Lodestar, was shot down by a Junkers Ju 88 of Luftwaffe 10/NJG 3 piloted by Lieutenant Werner Speidel on April 4, 1943, 50 kilometers (31.3 miles) NW of Skagen, on a passenger flight from Stockholm to Saint Andrews. All 7 on board were killed.

LATI I-MAST I-MAST, another Savoia-Marchetti SM-75 of LATI, was shot down by Royal Air Force fighters on April 13, 1943, during a passenger flight over the Mediterranean. It is unknown if anyone died.

LATI I-MONC I-MONC, another Savoia-Marchetti SM-75 of Italian airline LATI, was shot down by enemy fighters on April 19, 1943, during a passenger flight over the Mediterranean. It is unknown if anyone died.

BOAC Flight 777

BOAC Flight 777 was a scheduled civilian flight from Portela Airport, Lisbon in neutral Portugal bound for Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport, United Kingdom. The Douglas DC-3 operating the route (registered G-AGBB, ex-PH-ALI Ibis) had fled the German invasion of the Netherlands, and was owned and operated by KLM with a Dutch crew, albeit with British Overseas Airways Corporation flight numbers. On 1 June 1943, Ibis was attacked by eight German Junkers Ju 88 fighter bombers, who were not aware of the existence of the scheduled flight and the civilian status of the aircraft. Ibis crashed into the Bay of Biscay killing all aboard, including English actor Leslie Howard.Rosevink, Ben and Lt Col Herbert Hintze. "Flight 777." FlyPast, Issue No. 120, July 1991.

AB Aerotransport SE-BAG Gripen The Gripen (registered SE-BAG) was a Douglas DC-3 which was attacked by a German Junkers Ju 88 fighter-bomber over the coast of the island of , Sweden on 22 October 1943 while flying a scheduled passenger flight from Aberdeen to Stockholm. A ditching at sea was attempted but the aircraft flew against the cliffs and crashed. Of the fifteen occupants, two survived, the flight-engineer and a passenger, after they were thrown out of the rear part of the aircraft.

Deutsche Lufthansa D-AOCA D-AOCA, a Junkers Ju-52/3m of Deutsche Lufthansa, was shot down on April 17, 1944, by Allied fighters during an Allied sweep of Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). The plane was on scheduled service E.17 from Vienna to Athens with stops in Belgrade, Sofia, and Thessaloniki. The plane caught fire after being hit from the rear and starboard, crashing in Alt-Pasua, 26 km (16.1 miles) north of Semlin; 5 of the 7 occupants were killed.

Deutsche Lufthansa D-AMHL D-AMHL, a Focke-Wulf Fw 200D-2 of Deutsche Lufthansa, was intercepted and shot down by a Bristol Beaufighter Mk VIF of No. 415 Squadron RCAF from Dijon, over Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, France at 20:31 on September 27, 1944, on a passenger flight from Stuttgart, Germany to Barcelona, Spain. All 9 occupants were killed.

Friedrich Dahmen Friedrich Dahmen (D-ASHE), a Junkers Ju-52/3m of Deutsche Lufthansa, had to make a forced landing in Komárom County, Hungary, after being attacked by British Mosquito fighters during a passenger flight on October 17, 1944. Of the 9 occupants, 1 passenger was killed.

Deutsche Lufthansa D-ARHW D-ARHW, a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 of German airline Deutsche Lufthansa, was shot down by a German patrol boat at 10:25 on November 29, 1944, off Målkläppen, Sweden, on a passenger flight from Berlin to Stockholm, Sweden. All 10 occupants were killed.

Deutsche Lufthansa D-ANAJ D-ANAJ, a Junkers Ju-52/3m of Deutsche Lufthansa, was shot down by the Soviets during an evacuation flight on April 20, 1945, in the forest at Glienig. Of the 20 occupants (3 crew and 17 passengers, including a woman), only 2 passengers survived. Among the dead was film director Hans Steinhoff. This plane was the last Deutsche Lufthansa flight to leave Berlin before WW2 ended, headed for Enns with a stop in Prague.

Pan Am 1948 incident On April 29, 1948, a Douglas DC-3A of the United States airline Pan Am, was shot at by riflemen shortly after takeoff from San Jose, Costa Rica, with several bullets hitting the fuselage, a tire blowing out, and a propeller being hit. Despite this substantial damage, the plane safely continued to its destination and was later repaired. All 12 occupants survived. A communist leader who was a passenger on the flight is suspected to have been the attackers' target.

Pacific Overseas Airlines HS-PC103 HS-PC103, a Douglas C-47 of Thai airline Pacific Overseas Airlines, is believed to have been shot down off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia by Dutch pilots on October 25, 1948. The plane's route and fatality count (if any) is unknown.

Aigle Azur F-OABJ F-OABJ, a Douglas C-47 of French airline Aigle Azur, crashed during a passenger flight (route unknown) near Đông Khê, present-day Vietnam, on November 27, 1949. All 10 occupants were killed. It is speculated that the plane was shot down by the Viet Minh during a supply-drop flight.

1950s

Air Liban LR-AAN On July 24, 1950, LR-AAN, a Douglas C-47A-40-DL of Lebanon carrier Air Liban, was shot at by an Israeli Spitfire on a flight from Jerusalem to Beirut over the Israel-Lebanon border area. The plane landed safely despite substantial damage and was later repaired. Of the 28 occupants, 3 passengers were killed.

Air France F-BELI