Deliberate pilot actions such as on flyDubai flight responsible for 20-30% of major disasters

Since 2014, the commercial aviation industry has experienced a number of devastating crashes, resulting in more than 2,500 fatalities. Our analysis of these incidents reveals that the majority fall into three broad categories: deliberate acts by pilots, mechanical failures combined with pilot error, and aircraft destroyed by military activity or mid-air collisions outside the airline's control.

The issue of deliberate acts by pilots has again come into sharp focus following flydubai Flight FZ1073.

flydubai near disaster

flydubai flight FZ1073 was flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv on 30 September when a serious incident occurred in the cockpit while the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was cruising over Saudi Arabia.

According to official reports, the first officer attacked and stabbed the captain whilst attempting to take control and crash the aircraft. Passengers and crew intervened after the cockpit door was opened, with a passenger reportedly helping to subdue the attacking pilot. A reserve flydubai crew who were travelling on the aircraft then took control and diverted the flight to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely. Without this deadheading crew, the outcome would very likely have been a lot different.

Deliberate pilot actions such as on flyDubai flight responsible for up to 31% of commercial flight fatalities*

The crashes below are the major commercial passenger accidents between 2014 and 2026, grouped by the cause that investigators have established or that the evidence most strongly suggests. To keep every case on a like-for-like footing, we have excluded cargo, charter and military flights as well as deaths on the ground. Our thoughts remain with everyone affected as we put this piece together. To give you the full picture, we have also listed the AirlineRatings.com safety rating that each airline held at the time of its incident.

Pilot suicide or deliberate pilot action: 521 Fatalities

If preliminary assessments of the 2025 Air India crash (Flight AI171) are confirmed as the result of intentional pilot action, deliberate pilot action would account for 762 passenger deaths. Because the investigation remains open and more evidence now points to a non-human factor in the cockpit, we have excluded that crash from our latest analysis.

The following three incidents fall into this rare but harrowing category:

• Malaysia Airlines MH370 (Boeing 777-200ER) – 2014: 239 presumed dead. The aircraft disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and is widely believed to have been a case of pilot suicide. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Germanwings 4U9525 (Airbus A320-200) – 2015: 150 killed when the co-pilot deliberately crashed the plane into the French Alps. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• China Eastern MU5735 (Boeing 737-800) – 2022: 132 fatalities. The near-vertical nosedive and flight data point to deliberate input, although official findings remain sensitive. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

  *The figure of 31% includes the Air India AI171 crash, on the assumption that it was a deliberate act. If it was not, the figure sits at 21%.

Military Shootdowns & Collisions: 405 Fatalities

These tragic events, though involving commercial aircraft, are not attributed to airline fault. Instead, they typically result from geopolitical conflict, airspace mismanagement, or military-related interference.

• Malaysia Airlines MH17 (Boeing 777-200ER) – 2014: 298 killed when the aircraft was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile while en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Azerbaijan Airlines J2 8243 (Embraer 190) – 2024: 38 killed when the aircraft was reportedly struck by a Russian surface-to-air missile during its approach to Grozny. The incident is under international investigation and has sparked diplomatic tension. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• PSA / American Airlines Flight 67 (CRJ-700) – 2025: 67 killed after a helicopter entered controlled airspace and collided with the commercial jet. Preliminary findings suggest the helicopter was flying above its assigned altitude, violating separation protocols. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Air Canada Express 8646 (Jazz CRJ900) - 2026: 2 pilots died when the aircraft collided with a Port Authority fire truck on the runway. The truck had no transponder, so the tower could not track it. The NTSB's preliminary report describes the truck being cleared to cross while the aircraft was on short final, and it has not yet determined a probable cause. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mechanical Failure and Pilot Error: 1,303 Fatalities

These incidents often involve technical malfunctions and human error working together, with contributing factors that range from poor communication and inexperience to adverse weather and failure to follow standard operating procedures. Tragically, these crashes account for the highest number of fatalities, and in most cases they were entirely preventable. As the list below shows, the majority of involved airlines did not hold high safety scores in AirlineRatings seven-star safety rating system at the time of the incident. As the cause of the Air India crash remains undetermined, its category is still open, however, if it were placed here the total would rise to 1,544 fatalities.

• AirAsia QZ8501 (Airbus A320-200) – 2014: 162 fatalities. A system malfunction followed by crew mismanagement led to a stall.⭐️⭐️

• TransAsia Airways GE222 (ATR 72-500) – 2014: 48 killed in poor weather conditions. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Air Algérie AH5017 (MD-83, operated by Swiftair) – 2014: 116 dead due to weather-related disorientation. Air Algerie were rated ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ however swiftair were not.

• TransAsia Airways GE235 (ATR 72-600) – 2015: 43 killed after the pilot shut down the wrong engine following a failure.⭐️⭐️

• EgyptAir MS804 (Airbus A320) – 2016: 66 fatalities. Possible smoke/fire in the avionics bay; pilot response under scrutiny for smoking in the cockpit and most likely the cause ⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Pakistan International Airlines PK661 (ATR 42-500) – 2016: 48 killed due to engine failure and procedural lapses. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Lion Air JT610 (Boeing 737 MAX 8) – 2018: 189 fatalities caused by faulty MCAS software and arguable lapses in pilot training ⭐️⭐️

• Ethiopian Airlines ET302 (Boeing 737 MAX 8) – 2019: 157 dead in a nearly identical MCAS-induced dive caused by faulty MCAS software and arguable lapses in pilot training. ⭐️⭐️

• Aeroflot SU1492 (Sukhoi Superjet 100) – 2019: 41 killed after a lightning strike and hard landing sparked a fire.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Air India Express IX1344 (Boeing 737-800) – 2020: 17 killed in a runway overrun during poor weather. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Sriwijaya Air SJ182 (Boeing 737-500) – 2021: 62 fatalities; cause attributed to auto throttle failure and crew mismanagement.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Tara Air 9N-AET (DHC-6 Twin Otter) – 2022: 22 killed in Nepalese mountains amid poor visibility.⭐️

• Precision Air PW494 (ATR 42-500) – 2022: 19 dead after a crash into Lake Victoria during approach. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Yeti Airlines YT691 (ATR 72-500) – 2023: 72 killed in Pokhara, Nepal due to suspected pilot mismanagement during final descent. ⭐️

• Jeju Air LJ432 (Boeing 737-800) – 2024: 179 fatalities (investigation points to pilot error during emergency descent after a bird strike). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• Voepass Linhas Aéreas 2Z2543 (ATR 72) – 2024: 62 killed after mechanical failure and miscommunication in the cockpit. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Between 2014 and 2026, fatal commercial airline crashes claimed 2,470 lives, and our analysis shows that most of them trace back to mechanical failure and human error, with deliberate pilot action and military interference accounting for the rest. The flydubai flight FZ1073 incident on 30 September shows how narrow the line between a frightening event and a statistic can be.

Without that deadheading crew the flight could easily have joined the rare but harrowing list of deliberate crashes above, and every person on board owes their life to an unplanned stroke of luck.