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United Air Lines Flight 553 -

The first fatal accident involving a Boeing 737 occurred on December 8, 1972, when United Air Lines Flight 553 crashed while approaching Chicago's Midway International Airport. Pilot error was a factor in the crash. Pictured is a Boeing 737-222 similar to the aircraft in the accident. 

Image: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive 

© Public Domain

Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314 -

On February 11, 1978, a Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314, a Boeing 737-200, crashed near Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. Forty-three of the 49 people on board were killed. The accident was determined to be the result of a loss of control during an attempted go-around after touchdown, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).   

Image: Federal Aviation Administration Boeing 737-275

© Public Domain

Air Florida Flight 90 -

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that pilot error was the cause of the crash that downed Air Florida Flight 90 on January 13, 1980, just after takeoff from Washington National Airport. The plane involved was a Boeing 737-222. 

Image: Federal Aviation Administration

© Public Domain

British Airtours Flight 28M -

On August 22, 1985, British Airtours Flight 28M, a Boeing 737-236, aborted takeoff at Manchester Airport in England: an engine failure had generated a fire and the captain ordered an evacuation. Fifty-five people died in the ensuing fire, attributed to uncontained engine failure. 

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Aloha Airlines Flight 243 -

Explosive decompression caused by metal fatigue and maintenance error was blamed for the accident that caused part of the fuselage to break during the flight of Aloha Airlines Flight 243, operated by a Boeing 737-297, on April 28, 1988. 

Image: NTSB 

© Public Domain

British Midland Airways Flight 092 -

The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch report into the January 8, 1989, crash of British Midland Airways Flight 092, a Boeing 737-400, concluded that failure of one engine followed by erroneous shut-down of the operating engine during an emergency landing was the cause of the accident. Forty-seven people lost their lives. 

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China Airlines Flight 204 -

China Airlines Flight 204, a Boeing 737-200, crashed into a mountain after takeoff from Hualien Airport, Taiwan, on October 26, 1989, killing all onboard. Pilot error was blamed for the tragedy. Pictured is the aircraft involved in the accident 

© Public Domain

USAir Flight 427 -

USAir Flight 427, a Boeing 737-3B7, crashed in Pennsylvania on September 8, 1994. The cause was loss of control due to a system malfunction known as a rudder hardover. There were no survivors.  

Image: NTSB

© Public Domain

Aviateca Flight 901 -

Pilot error and air traffic control error in bad weather contributed to the accident involving Aviateca Flight 901, a Boeing 737-2H6, on August 9, 1995, in El Salvador. There were no survivors.

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LAPA Flight 3142 -

An accident involving a Boeing 737-200, LAPA Flight 3142, left 65 dead after it crashed on August 31, 1999. Runway overrun due to incorrect flap configuration was cited as the cause of the tragic incident that took place during take-off from Aeroparque Jorge Newbery airport in Buenos Aires.

© Public Domain

Air Philippines Flight 541 -

On April 19, 2000, Air Philippines Flight 541, a Boeing 737-2H4, crashed in Samal, Davao del Norte, while on approach to the airport, resulting in 131 fatalities. The accident was blamed on pilot error. 

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Alliance Air Flight 7412 -

Alliance Air Flight 7412 came down into a residential area in Patna, India, on July 17, 2000. The crash killed 60 people including five on the ground. Operating the route was a Boeing 737-2A8. The cause of the crash was due to pilot error. 

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Thai Airways International Flight 114 -

On March 3, 2001, a fuel tank explosion destroyed Thai Airways International Flight 114 while the aircraft, a Boeing 737-400, was parked prior to boarding. There was one fatality. 

Image: NTSB 

© Public Domain

Flash Airlines Flight 604 -

Egypt's Ministry of Civil Aviation was unable to determine the exact cause of why Flash Airlines Flight 604, a Boeing 737-300, fell into the Red Sea shortly after takeoff from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport on January 3, 2004. There were no survivors of the 148 people on board. It remains the deadliest accident involving a 737 Classic aircraft.

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Bellview Airlines Flight 210 -

The cause of the crash of Bellview Airlines Flight 210, a Boeing 737-200, on October 27, 2005, was never determined. The accident occurred just after takeoff from Lagos in Nigeria and killed all onboard. Pictured are soldiers keeping watch at the scene of the tragedy. 

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Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 -

On December 8, 2005, Southwest Airlines Flight 1248, a Boeing 737-700, slid off a runway at Chicago-Midway while landing in a snowstorm. One person on the ground was killed. Runway overrun due to pilot error was blamed for the accident. 

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Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 -

A mid-air collision over Brazil on September 29, 2006, brought down Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907, a Boeing 737-800, with killing all onboard. The other plane, an executive jet, managed to land safely. The accident resulted in the first hull loss and the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 737NG (Next Generation) aircraft. 

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China Airlines Flight 120 -

Shortly after landing and taxiing to the gate area at Naha Airport in Japan on August 20, 2007, China Airlines Flight 120, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, experienced mechanical failure leading to a fuel tank fire. There were no fatalities. The accident led to the FAA ordering emergency inspections of all Boeing 737NG series. 

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Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 6895 -

On August 24, 2008, Iran Aseman Airlines Flight 6895, a Boeing 737-200, experienced technical difficulties and was returning to Manas International Airport in Kyrgyzstan when it crashed. Twenty-five passengers survived the impact. The subsequent investigation blamed the incident on pilot error. 

© Public Domain

Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 -

On February 25, 2009, Turkish Airlines Flight 1951, a Boeing 737-800, stalled due to a faulty radio altimeter while landing at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. Pilot error was also cited as a contributing factor. Nine people died in the accident. 

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Southwest Airlines Flight 2294 -

In-flight structural failure leading to rapid decompression prompted Southwest Airlines Flight 2294, a Boeing 737-3H4, to make an emergency landing at Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia, on July 13, 2009. There were no fatalities. Pictured is the interior of the damaged fuselage section. 

Image: NTSB

© Public Domain

Bhoja Air Flight 213 -

Microburst-induced wind shear followed by pilot error conspired to bring down Bhoja Air Flight 213, a Boeing 737-236A, in Pakistan on April 20, 2012. There were no survivors. 

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United Flight 433 -

On March 16, 2018, United Flight 433, a Boeing 737-800 (similar to the one seen in this photograph), flying from San Francisco was found to have a missing panel after landing safely at its scheduled destination in southern Oregon. 

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Lion Air Flight 610 -

On October 29, 2018, in an incident that made world headlines, Lion Air Flight 610, a Boeing 373 MAX 8, crashed into the Java Sea, killing all onboard. Loss of control in flight was cited as the cause of the first major accident and hull loss of a 737 MAX—a then recently-introduced aircraft. Pictured is the search for wreckage from the ill-fated flight. 

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Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 -

Incredibly, less than five months later on March 10, 2019, another Boeing 737 MAX 8 was lost when Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed six minutes after takeoff from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people aboard. After this accident, the 737 MAX was grounded for nearly two years in many countries and regions around the world. 

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United Airlines Flight 328 -

On February 20, 2021, United Airlines Flight 328, operated by a Boeing 777-222, suffered a unilateral engine failure shortly after takeoff, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing. Before reaching the airport, the malfunctioning engine exploded and caught fire, sending masses of debris into the residential area of Broomfield, outside Denver, Colorado.

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China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 -

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) was unable to pinpoint the exact reason China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735, a Boeing 737-89P, crashed into the ground on March 21, 2022, during a domestic flight. No one survived the high-speed impact. Pictured is one of the aircraft's black boxes. 

© Getty Images

Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 -

Shortly after takeoff from Portland International Airport in Oregon on January 5, 2024, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, suffered an uncontrolled decompression after a door plug blew out resulting in a portion of the plane's fuselage flying off. 

Image: NTSB 

© Public Domain

Air Senegal flight HC 301 -

Air Senegal flight HC 301, operated by a Boeing 737-300 owned by the private company Transair, skidded off a runway in Senegal on May 9, 2024, injuring at least 10 people, four of them seriously.

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Jeju Air Flight 2216 -

On December 29, 2024, a Boeing 737-800, operated by Jeju Air, crashed during its approach to Muan International Airport in South Korea, killing 179 people on board and leaving only two survivors. The plane, which was coming from Bangkok, Thailand, had a failure in the landing gear and the aircraft skidded off the runway, collided with a concrete barrier, and exploded. The crash marks South Korea's deadliest aviation disaster in two decades, and investigations are underway to determine the exact cause.

Sources: (Manchester Evening News) (Aviation Safety Network) (The Guardian) (Simple Flying) (CNN)

See also: Major aviation disasters in the US

© Reuters