This list of accidents and incidents on airliners in the United States summarizes airline accidents that occurred within the territories claimed by the United States, with information on airline company with flight number, date, and cause.
This list is a subset of the list of accidents and incidents involving airliners by location.
It is also available grouped: by year as List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft by airline as List of accidents and incidents involving airliners by airline by fatalities as List of fatal accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft in the United States
Click a link below to jump straight to a particular U.S. State or Territory:
Alabama
January 6, 1946 – Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 105, a Douglas DC-3, crashed while attempting to land at Birmingham Municipal Airport. The three pilots were killed. April 9, 1990 – Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254, an Embraer EMB 120 operating for Delta Connection, collided with a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 172 over Gadsden. Both individuals on board the Cessna were killed, while Flight 2254 was able to land safely at Northeast Alabama Regional Airport.National Transportation Safety Board (1990). Factual Report. (PDF.) Accessed December 6, 2010. June 8, 1992 – GP Express Flight 861, a Beech 99, crashed in Anniston after the crew lost spatial and situational awareness while attempting to land. Two passengers and the captain were killed.National Transportation Safety Board (1993). Controlled Collision with Terrain; GP Express Airlines Flight 861; Beechcraft C99 N118GP; Anniston, Alabama; June 8, 1992. (PDF). Retrieved December 6, 2010. July 10, 1991 – L'Express Airlines Flight 508, a Beech 99, crashed in Birmingham while attempting to land at Birmingham Municipal Airport during a severe thunderstorm, killing 13 people.National Transportation Safety Board (1992). . (PDF.) Retrieved December 6, 2010. It remains the deadliest commercial aviation accident in Alabama history. August 14, 2013 – UPS Airlines Flight 1354, an Airbus A300, crashed short of Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport due to pilot error and pilot fatigue. Both crew members were killed.
Alaska
October 26, 1947 – Pan Am Flight 923, a Douglas DC-4, crashed into the side of Tamgas Mountain near Annette Island, killing all 18 on board. March 12, 1948 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 4422, a Douglas C-54, crashed into Mount Sanford, killing all 30 on board. The wreckage was lost for nearly fifty years until being located in 1997. The exact cause of the accident was never determined. July 21, 1961 – Alaska Airlines Flight 779, a Douglas DC-6, crashed short of the runway at Shemya Air Force Base, killing all 6 crew members. June 3, 1963 – Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 293, a Douglas DC-7, was a Military Air Transport Service charter flight carrying 101 servicemen and their families that crashed into the sea off the Alaska. The cause of the accident was never determined, and no bodies were ever recovered.Civil Aeronautics Board. File #1-0009.Accident Investigation Report: Northwest Airlines, Inc. -- Douglas DC-7C, N 290 Annette Island, Alaska -- June 3, 1953 . US Department of Transportation. Released April 21, 1964. Accessed online on November 20, 2013. (The report is indexed at NTLL Special Collections; also indexed at Investigations of Aircraft Accidents 1934–1965 .) December 2, 1968 – Wien Consolidated Airlines Flight 55, a Fairchild F-27, crashed into Pedro Bay after encountering extreme air turbulence and suffering structural failure.National Transportation Safety Board (1970). "Aircraft Accident Report: Wien Consolidated Airlines, Inc.; Fairchild F-27B, N4905; Pedro Bay, Alaska; December 2, 1968".. Retrieved September 2, 2009. All 39 on board were killed. December 26, 1968 – Pan Am Flight 799, a Boeing 707, stalled after take-off from Elmendorf Air Force Base and crashed due to an incorrect flap setting. All three crew members died. November 27, 1970 – Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26, a Douglas DC-8, overran the runway at Anchorage International Airport, killing 47 of the 229 people on board. September 4, 1971 – Alaska Airlines Flight 1866, a Boeing 727, crashed into a mountain in the Chilkat Range near Juneau, killing all 111 on board.CNN Transcript. Breaking News. Alaska Airlines Flight 261: Plane Plummets Into Pacific; 88 People on Board; Armada of Boats Searching for Signs of Life. Aired February 1, 2000. Available at http://www.cnn.com. Accessed on May 25, 2009. It was the first fatal jet airliner crash for Alaska Airlines. August 30, 1975 – Wien Air Alaska Flight 99, a Fairchild F-27, crashed into Sevuokuk Mountain while on approach to Gambell, through heavy fog. All 10 people on board were killed on impact and in the subsequent fire.National Transportation Safety Board (1976). . Retrieved December 6, 2010. April 5, 1976 – Alaska Airlines Flight 60, a Boeing 727, overran the runway at Ketchikan Airport, resulting in the death of one passenger. June 8, 1983 – Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8, a Lockheed L-188, suffered a propeller detachment, striking the fuselage and damaging flight controls. The plane landed safely at Anchorage International Airport. December 23, 1983 – the Anchorage runway collision occurred when Korean Air Lines Flight 084, a DC-10 freighter, collided with a SouthCentral Air Piper PA-31 on the runway at Anchorage International Airport. The Korean Air Lines pilots had become disoriented and attempted to take off from the wrong runway. Both aircraft were destroyed, but all 12 occupants of both aircraft survived. December 15, 1989 – KLM Flight 867, a Boeing 747-400, lost all four engines after flying through volcanic ash from Mount Redoubt, but managed to land safely and without loss of life at Anchorage International Airport. March 31, 1993 – Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 46E, a Boeing 747 operated by Evergreen International, experienced a number-two engine detachment on while climbing over Alaska. The pilots did lose some control, but soon made a successful emergency landing at Anchorage International Airport, with all three pilots surviving. October 9, 2002 – Northwest Airlines Flight 85, a Boeing 747-400, experienced a severe rudder hardover event that forced it to divert to Anchorage. As a result of the incident, an airworthiness directive was issued to prevent further such events."ANC03IA001." (Archive) National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved on December 23, 2012. "the captain said the airplane was at a cruise altitude of 35,000 feet with the autopilot engaged, when it abruptly rolled into a 30 to 40 degree left bank." October 17, 2019 – PenAir Flight 3296, a Saab 2000, ran off the end of the runway at Unalaska Airport. One passenger was killed by a propeller blade. March 8, 2013 – Alaska Central Express Flight 51, a Beech 1900, crashed into Muklung Hills, killing both crew members. May 13, 2019 – the 2019 Alaska mid-air collision occurred when a Mountain Air Service DHC-3 and a Taquan Air DHC-2 collided over George Inlet. All 5 on board the Mountain Air Service were killed; the Taquan Air flight made a forced landing on the inlet, killing 1 person. April 23, 2024 – An Alaska Air Fuel Douglas C-54D crashed shortly after takeoff from Fairbanks International Airport, killing both crew members. February 6, 2025 – Bering Air Flight 445, a Cessna 208, crashed into ice in the Norton Sound, killing all 10 on board. August 20, 2026 – Security Aviation Flight 45, a Cessna 441 Conquest II, crashed on approach to Cape Newenham LRRS Airport, killing all eight people on board.
Arizona
June 30, 1956 – the 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision occurred when United Airlines Flight 718, a Douglas DC-7, and TWA Flight 2, a Lockheed Super Constellation, collided over the Grand Canyon, killing all 128 aboard both aircraft. A Civil Aeronautics Board investigation determined that the aircraft had been flying in each other's blind spots and did not see each other prior to impact.Civil Aeronautics Board. Docket #SA-320. File #1-0090. April 17, 1957. pdf . US Department of Transportation. Accessed online on May 25, 2009. June 18, 1986 – the 1986 Grand Canyon mid-air collision occurred when Grand Canyon Airlines Flight 6, a Twin Otter, collided with a Bell 206 helicopter over Grand Canyon National Park. All 25 passengers and crew on board the two aircraft were killed.National Transportation Safety Board (1987). Grand Canyon Airlines, Inc., and Helitech, Inc., Midair Collision Over Grand Canyon National Park, June 18, 1986. (PDF.) Retrieved December 6, 2010. April 1, 2011 – Southwest Airlines Flight 812, a Boeing 737-300, suffered rapid depressurization after a hole opened in the aircraft skin in-flight. The aircraft made an emergency landing at Yuma International Airport. A manufacturing flaw in the Boeing 737 was found to contribute to the accident.
Arkansas
January 14, 1936 – American Airlines Flight 1, a Douglas DC-2 crashed into a swamp near Goodwin, killing all 17 people on board. At the time, it was the worst civil plane crash on U.S. soil. As of 2025, it remains the deadliest crash in Arkansas state history. September 27, 1973 – Texas International Airlines Flight 655, a Convair 660, crashed into Black Fork Mountain, killing all 8 passengers and 3 crew. The pilots had descended below the minimum altitude for the area while attempting to circumnavigate a thunderstorm.National Transportation Safety Board (1974). Retrieved May 25, 2009. April 7, 1994 – Federal Express Flight 705, a DC-10, experienced an attempted hijacking in the air over Arkansas by an off-duty pilot. A brawl broke out, and despite serious injuries, the crew was able to make an emergency landing at Memphis International Airport in Tennessee. June 1, 1999 – American Airlines Flight 1420, an MD-82, overran the runway while attempting to land at Little Rock National Airport. The pilots attempted to land though heavy winds and wind shear that exceeded the safety limits for the aircraft. The captain and 10 passengers were killed on impact.National Transportation Safety Board (2001). "Aircraft Accident Report: Runway Overrun During Landing; American Airlines Flight 1420; McDonnell Douglas MD-82, N215AA; Little Rock, Arkansas; 1 June 1999".. Retrieved December 23, 2005.
California
December 27, 1936 – United Air Lines Flight 34, a Boeing 247, crashed into Rice Canyon, killing all 12 passengers and crew. January 12, 1937 – Western Air Express Flight 7, a Boeing 247, crashed into Pinetos Peak northeast of San Fernando, killing 5, including adventurer and documentary filmmaker Martin Johnson. March 1, 1938 – TWA Flight 8, a Douglas DC-2, crashed into Yosemite National Park while attempting to divert to Fresno during severe weather, killing all 9 on board. October 23, 1942 – American Airlines Flight 28, a Douglas DC-3, collided with a US Army Air Corps B-34 over Chino Canyon, after the army pilot's reckless flying severed the airliner's tail. All 12 on board Flight 28 were killed; both army pilots survived.Civil Aeronautics Board. Docket #SA-74. File #2362-43. January 28, 1943. html . US Department of Transportation. Accessed online on September 8, 2009. January 21, 1943 – Pan Am Flight 1104, a Martin M-130, crashed into a mountain near Boonville, California, killing all 19 on board, including Rear Admiral Robert Henry English. January 10, 1945 – American Airlines Flight 6001, a DC-3, crashed during a go-around from Burbank Airport, killing all 24 on board. January 28, 1948 – an Airline Transport Carriers DC-3 crashed into the Diablo Mountains, killing all 32 on board. July 12, 1949 – Standard Air Lines Flight 897R, a Curtiss C-46, crashed on approach to Burbank Airport, killing 35. December 7, 1949 – an Arrow Air DC-3 crashed into terrain on approach to Sacramento, killing all 9 on board.