In-flight breakup

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An in-flight breakup is a catastrophic failure of an aircraft structure that causes it to break apart in mid-air. This can result in the death of all occupants and the destruction of the aircraft. In-flight breakups are rare but devastating events that can be caused by various factors.

Faults in the design or manufacturing of the aircraft can create weak points or stress concentrations in the structure. Constant use and repeated loading and unloading cycles on the aircraft can lead to fatigue cracking. Additionally, pilot error or adverse weather conditions can cause the aircraft to experience more extreme conditions than those it was designed to tolerate.^[1] In some cases, sabotage or terrorism can damage critical systems or components, leading to catastrophic failure.

• BOAC Flight 783, BOAC Flight 781 and South African Airways Flight 201 1953-1954: Flight 783, 781 and Flight 201 were de Havilland Comets that suffered in-flight breakups due to structural failure in the fuselage frame. These accidents resulted in the aircraft being grounded for four years.
• Korean Air Flight 007 (1983): A Boeing 747 was shot down by a Soviet interceptor after straying into Soviet airspace. The aircraft experienced an in-flight breakup after being hit by a missile.^[2] All 269 occupants on board were killed.
• Air India Flight 182 (1985): A Boeing 747 was destroyed by a terrorist planted bomb which caused the aircraft to explode and experience in-flight breakup off the coast of Cork, Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean. All 329 occupants on board were killed.
• Pan Am Flight 103 (1988): A Boeing 747 that was destroyed by a bomb over the town of Lockerbie in Scotland killing all 259 occupants on board as well as 11 on the ground.
• TWA Flight 800 (1996): A Boeing 747-131 experienced an in-flight breakup over the Atlantic Ocean near New York. The breakup was caused by a fuel tank explosion resulting from an electrical short circuit.^[3] All 230 people on board were killed.
• American Airlines Flight 587 (2001): An Airbus A300-600 experienced a semi-in-flight breakup over Queens, New York, shortly after takeoff. The vertical stabilizer separated from the aircraft due to excessive rudder pedal inputs by the first officer on account of a lack of suitable training,^[4] along with unexpected aerodynamic loads. All 260 people on board and five people on the ground were killed.
• China Airlines Flight 611 (2002): A Boeing 747-200B disintegrated in mid-air over the Taiwan Strait due to a structural failure caused by improper repairs made following a tailstrike 22 years earlier.^[5] All 225 occupants on board were killed.
• Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 (2006): a mid-air collision with an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet tore off the plane's left wing, causing an uncontrollable spiral and subsequent in-flight breakup.
• Adam Air Flight 574 (2007): experienced a inertial navigation system malfunction leading to spatial disorientation. Unbeknownst to the pilots, the plane was in a nose dive, subsequently over-speeding and breaking up. This caused the end of Adam Air.
• Hudson River helicopter crash (2025): a Bell 206 helicopter operating a pleasure flight around Manhattan broke apart mid air killing all occupants onboard.

• Aviation accidents and incidents
• Boeing 747
• American Airlines Flight 587
• Suicide attack
• Terrorism
• AA Flight 191
• Aircraft hijacking
• Stall
• Aviation safety
• Controlled flight into terrain
• List of DC-10 accidents and incidents