| Date/Time |
Person |
Location |
Aircraft |
Details |
Notes |
| Feb 15, 1970 |
Carlos Cruz
featherweight champion boxer
Members of the Puerto Rican women's volleyball team |
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
Compania Dominicana de Aviacion
DC-9-32
HI-177 cn:47500 |
Lost an engine on takeoff. Circled back to the airport and crashed into the sea. All 102 aboard killed. |
details in database |
May 9, 1970
21:28
|
Walter Reuther
63, UAW labor leader |
Pellston, Michigan |
Gates Learjet 23
N434J
cn:23-046 |
During an instrument landing the plane broke through clouds, hit trees and burst into flames short of the runway. Reuther's wife and 4 others also killed. |
details in
database |
Jul 31, 1970
06:40
|
George Paul
23, champion bull rider |
Kemmerer, Wyoming |
Beech C50
N7707
|
Struck a mountain slope in VFR conditions. Pilot fatigue. Paul hadn't slept the night prior to the flight. 1 killed. |
|
Oct 2, 1970
13:00 |
Wichita State College football team |
Silver Plume, Colorado, Mt. Trelease |
Golden Eagle Aviation
Flight 108
Martin 404
N464M cn:14151 |
Aircraft entered a mountain valley route from which it could neither climb over or execute a course reversal. Pilot error. 32 of 40 aboard killed. |
details in
database |
Oct 4, 1970
15:10
|
Curtis Turner
46, race car driver |
Mahaffey, Pennsylvania |
Aerocommander 500-B
N701X |
Crashed into mountains 20 minutes after takeoff. Turner, who was piloting the plane, was under the influence of alcohol. Turner suffered a severe heart attack prior to the accident. 2 killed. |
details in
database |
Nov 14, 1970
19:36 |
Marshall University football team |
Near Huntington, West Virginia |
Southern Airways
Flight 932
Douglas DC-9-31
N97S cn:47245 |
Crashed short of the runway. Improper procedures by crew. Used autopilot throughout landing. Call-outs not made. All 75 aboard killed. 41 from the Marshall University team. |
details in
database |
May 28, 1971
11:08
|
Audie Murphy
46, WW II hero and movie actor |
Roanoke, Virginia |
Aero Commander 680
N601JJ
cn:491-161 |
Crashed in mountains in heavy thunderstorms. Continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions. Entered instrument weather at too low an altitude to clear mountain. All 5 aboard killed. |
details in
database |
| June 30, 1971 |
Georgi Dobrovolsky, 43
Viktor Patsayev, 38
Vladislav Volkov, 35
Cosmonauts |
In space |
Soyuz II |
A valve opened as the descent module separated from the orbital module depressurizing the space craft. The crew died within 45 seconds. |
|
| Jul 24, 1972 |
Lance Reventow
36,Woolworth heir and formula one race car driver |
Aspen, Colorado |
Cessna U206
N5290U
|
Died when the plane he was riding in crashed in a storm over the Rocky Mountains after the pilot flew into a blind canyon. 4 killed. |
|
| Aug 28, 1972 |
Prince William Henry Andrew
30, Windsor of Glouscester |
Near Wolverhampton, England |
Piper Cherokee |
Killed while taking place in the Goodyear Air Race near Wolverhampton. The plane crashed and exploded shortly after taking off after losing height suddenly. Both aboard killed. |
|
| Oct 13, 1972 |
Old Christians Rugby Team
|
Near San Fernando, Chile |
Uruguayan Air Force - TAMU
Fairchild Hiller FH-227D
T-571 cn:572 |
Crashed in the Andes. Flew into mountain wave leading to loss of control. Found 72 days after crash. Resorted to cannibalism to stay alive by eating the dead. 29 of 45 aboard killed. The movie and book "Alive" based on this crash. |
details in
database
|
Oct 16, 1972
c 09:00 |
Hale Boggs
58, Louisiana U.S. Rep.
Nick Begich
40, Alaska U.S. Rep. |
Off the Alaskan coast |
Cessna 310C
N1812H |
Disappeared while approaching the Chugach mountain range on a flight from Anchorage to Juneau. Cause unknown. 4 killed. |
details in
database |
Dec 8, 1972
14:28 |
George Collins
47, Illinois U.S. Rep.
Dorothy Hunt
52, wife of E. Howard Hunt of Watergate fame
|
Chicago, Illinois |
United Air Lines
Flight 553
Boeing 737-222
N9031U cn:19069 |
Crashed while making a non-precision instrument approach. Pilot error. Failure to exercise positive flight management. 43 of 61 aboard killed. |
details in
database |
Dec 31, 1972
19:23
|
Roberto Clemente
38, baseball player, Pittsburgh outfielder |
San Juan, Puerto Rico |
American Express Leasing
Douglas DC-7CF
N500AE
cn:45130 |
Crashed after taking off after losing power in the No. 2 and 3 engines. Overloaded, poor maintenance. Clemente was on a relief mission to deliver supplies for earthquake victims in Nicaragua. All 5 aboard killed. |
details in
database |
| Jan 22, 1973 |
Alexander Onassis
son of Aristotle Onassis |
Athens, Greece |
Piaggio |
Rolled to the right and nose-dived into the ground after attaining a height of 100 ft. during takeoff. |
|
Jul 20, 1973
10:15 |
Robert Smithson
35, American artist |
Amarillo Texas |
Beech E55
N814T |
The plane stalled and crashed after the pilot's attention was diverted from flying the aircraft. Smithson was photographing his sculpture site from the air. 3 killed. |
|
Sep 20, 1973
22:45 |
Jim Croce
30, singer |
Natchitoches, Louisiana |
Beechcraft E18S
N50JR
BA-176 |
Crashed into trees at the end of the runway while taking off after not gaining altitude. Pilot failed to see/avoid objects, obstructions. Also killed were his publicist Kenny Cortese, singer Maury Muehleisen, road manager Dennis Rast, comedian George Stevens and pilot Robert Elliot. All 6 aboard killed. |
details in
database |
Nov 30, 1973
19:50 |
Bruce Yarnell
37, Actor |
Near Gorman, California |
Beech 23
N2360Z |
Yarnell who was piloting the plane, used poor judgment in continuing a VFR flight into adverse weather conditions resulting in spatial disorientation and loss of control of the aircraft. He was attempting to return to Van Nuys airport when the accident occurred. All 3 aboard killed. |
|
Aug 09, 1974
17:00 |
Bill Chase
39, jazz rock musician |
Jackson, Minnesota |
Piper PA-30 Comanche
N8129Y |
Crashed short of the runway while attempting to land in heavy rain. Pilot error. Improper IFR operation. All 6 aboard killed. |
|
Feb 14, 1975
08:25 |
Jerry Pettis
59, California U.S. Rep. |
Cherry Valley, California |
Beech V35B
N23JP |
Crashed his plane while on a flight from Palm Springs to San Bernardino. Continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions. 1 killed. |
|
Feb 20, 1975
01:20 |
Bobby Shane
"Robert Schoenberger"
29, pro wrestler |
Tampa Bay, Florida |
Cessna 182J
N456BC |
The small plane crashed into Tampa Bay after the pilot became disoriented in clouds and darkness while attempting to land. Shane drowned in the back seat of the plane. Wrestlers Gary Hart, Dennis McChord and Buddy Colt, who was piloting the plane, survived. |
|
| Jun 24, 1975 |
Wendell Ladner
27, basketball player, N.Y. Nets forward |
New York, New York |
Eastern Air Lines
Flight 66
Boeing 727
N8845E cn:20443 |
Crashed while landing at JFK in a storm. Windshear. 113 of 124 aboard killed. |
details in database |
Sep 3, 1975
14:49 |
Irv Medlinger
48, MLB player |
Wheeling, Illinois |
Piper PA-24
N68073 |
Inadequate maintenance of the aircraft caused engine failure and a forced landing resulting in destruction of the aircraft. 2 killed. |
|
Nov 29, 1975
|
Graham Hill
46, race car driver
Tony Brise
23, race car driver |
Hertfordshire, England |
Piper Aztec
N6645Y
cn:27-3960 |
Piloted by Hill. Crashed after getting lost in fog. All 6 aboard killed. |
details in
database |
Dec 26, 1975
14:49
|
Myrna Ross
36, American actress |
Rollinsville, Colorado |
Star Aviaiton
Mitsubishi MU-2B
N133MA |
Crashed into mountains. Continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions. All 9 aboard Killed. |
|
Jul 30, 1976
|
Joel Rakotomalala
47, Prime Minister of Madagascar |
Tananarive, Madagascar |
Helicopter |
Crashed into the sea. All 4 aboard killed. |
|
Aug 3, 1976
|
Jerry Litton
39, Missouri U.S. Rep. |
Chillicothe, Missouri |
Beech 58
N1553W |
A broken crankshaft in the left engine caused a loss of control and the plane to crash during takeoff. 6 killed including Litton's wife and 2 children. |
|
Sep 3, 1976
21:45 |
Orfeon University Choir
|
Lajes, Azores, Portugal |
Lockheed C-130
7772
cn: 4408 |
Crashed into a hill 1 mile short of the runway in heavy rains from hurricane Emmy. All 68 aboard killed. |
details in database |
Oct 6, 1976
13:24 |
Cuban National Fencing Team
|
Off Bridgetown, Barbados |
Cubana
DC-8-43
CU-T1201
cn: 45611/48 |
Explosion of a terrorist bomb in the cabin led to an unontrollable fire and incapacitation of the crew which caused the plane to crash into the ocean. All 73 aboard killed. |
details in database |
Jan 6, 1977
17:05 |
Natalie "Dolly" Sinatra
82, mother of entertainer Frank Sinatra |
Near Palm Springs, California |
Gates Learjet 24B
N12MK |
After leaving Palm Springs Municipal Airport, the plane never changed heading and flew into a mountain. Crew error. 4 killed. |
details in database |
| Jan 18, 1977 |
Džemal Bijedić
60, Premier of Yugoslavia |
Sarajevo, Yugoslavia |
Gates Learjet |
Crashed into a Lisin Mountain during a snowstorm. All 7 aboard killed. |
|
| Mar 19, 1977 |
Jose Carlos Pace
32, Brazilian champion race car driver |
Near Mairiporã, Brazil |
Piper |
Killed along with colleague and pilot Marivaldo Fernandes while traveling to a ranch in western Sao Paulo. All 3 aboard killed. |
|
Mar 27, 1977
17:07 |
Eve Meyer
48, June 1955 Playmate of the month, film producer |
Tenerife, Canary Islands |
Pan Am/KLM
Boeing 747
N736PA/PH-BUF
19643/11 / 20400/157 |
Two jumbo jets collided on the runway after the KLM captain took off without clearance. 583 out of 644 killed. |
details in
database
|
May 2, 1977
09:25 |
Edward Cole
67, GM president creator of the Corvair. |
Mendon, Michigan |
Beagle 206S2
N500KR |
The plane, Cole was piloting, crashed after he flew VFR into adverse weather conditions and suffered spatial disorientation. 1 killed. |
|
May 16, 1977
07:35 |
Michael Findlay
33, horror film director |
New York New York |
Sikorsky S61L helicopter
N619PA |
While boarding the helicopter the gear collapsed due to a fatigue fracture, decapitating Findlay and killing 3 other passengers. |
details in
database |
Aug 1 1977
12:36
|
Francis Gary Powers
47, newscaster |
Encino, California |
Bell 206B Jetranger helicopter
N4TV |
Flying for Channel 4 news, the helicopter ran out of fuel returning from covering a fire. Powers was famous for piloting the U2 aircraft that was shot down over Russia in 1960. 2 killed. |
details in
database |
Oct 20, 1977
18:52 |
Ronnie Van Zant
29, lead singer for Lynyrd Skynyrd Band |
Near Gillsburg, Mississippi |
L & J Company
Convair CV-300
N55VM cn: 003 |
Ran low on fuel and crashed into a wooded area. Malfunctioning engine that used excessive fuel. Three other band members killed. 6 of 26 aboard killed including Cassie & Steve Gaines. |
details in
database |
Dec 13, 1977
19:22
|
Evansville basketball team |
Evansville, Indiana |
National Jet Service
Douglas DC-3
N51071 cn:4837 |
Crashed on takeoff in rain and fog. Aileron and rudder remained locked during takeoff. Improperly loaded luggage. All 29 aboard killed. |
details in
database |
May 21, 1978
09:15 |
Bruce Geller
47, writer, producer director |
Santa Barbara, California |
Cessna 337D Skymaster
N86100 |
Crashed in fog into Buena Vista canyon while on a pleasure trip from Santa Monica to Santa Barbara. Misread instruments. Both aboard killed. Creator of "Mission Impossible" |
|
Apr 15, 1978
15:14
|
Frank Gifford Tallman
59, movie stunt pilot |
Trabuco Canyon, California |
Piper PA-23
N5641Y |
Crashed into Santiago Peak in the Santa Ana Mountains while on a routine ferry flight in turbulence and a rainstorm. Continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions. 1 killed. |
|
Feb 19, 1979
07:36 |
Norman Ollestad I
43, American child actor |
Mt. Baldy, California |
Cessna 172
N1527V |
Crashed into the San Bernardino mountains at 7,300 feet while on a flight to Big Bear, CA. 2 of 4 aboard killed. One killed in a fall after the accident. Pilot continued VFR flight into adverse weather conditions. |
|
| Jun 28, 1979 |
Philippe Cousteau
39, son of Jacques Cousteau |
Off Lisbon, Portugal |
PBY-6A Catalina |
Crashed while attempting to land and was killed when one of the plane's propellers separated and cut through the cockpit. |
|
Aug 2, 1979
16:02
|
Thurman Munson
32, baseball player, N.Y. Yankee catcher |
Canton, Ohio |
Cessna 501 Citation
N15NY
cn:0110 |
Munson crashed short of the runway while practicing takeoffs and landing. He stalled the plane. Aircraft allowed to get too low and too slow. 1 of 3 killed killed. |
|
Aug 11, 1979
13:35 |
Pakhtakor Tashken Russian soccer team |
Dneprodzerzhinsk, Ukraine, USSR |
Aeroflot
Tupolev TU-134A
SSSR- 65735
cn:- 2351516 |
A midair collision occurred between two Tupolev 134As. Separation error by Russian ATC. Fourteen players and 3 staff members of the Russian soccer team, Pakhtakor Tashkent, killed. All 84 aboard killed. |
details in
database |