The 10 Most Dangerous Plane Models To Avoid & 10 That Are Safe
Fear of Flying?
Certain aviation companies have been making headlines lately for their planes' involvement in fatal crashes, sparking fears in the general public and even prompting travel search engines to allow customers to filter flights by plane type. But how much of a difference does the aircraft really make to safety? In some cases, it can be major. Based on stats, here are the 10 most dangerous models to avoid and the 10 safest, so you can book your next flight with peace of mind.
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1. Boeing 737 MAX
The Boeing 737 MAX is one of the planes with the worst reputations right now after it was grounded worldwide following two devastating crashes in 2018 and 2019 linked to software errors. It was redesigned and returned to service, but made headlines again in 2024 after a mid-air door plug blowout.
2. McDonnell Douglas DC-10
A design flaw in the original cargo doors of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, which caused multiple incidents, gave this plane a horrible safety record. After several modifications and strict inspections, it's now considered a reliable aircraft, but it still has a bad public perception because of its negative history.
San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive on Wikimedia
3. Boeing DC-9
The Boeing DC-9 has had a long career as an aircraft, and is now only flown commercially by one airline: African Express. Although it was a generally successful plane, it has been involved in some crashes more recently, largely due to poor maintenance and excessive wear. Given the age of these planes, we would recommend avoiding them.
4. Boeing 727
The 727's reputation was tarnished by its early history of crashes, largely due to the plane's complex flap system. There are also some concerns about potential fuel tank explosions because of their similarity to other planes with that problem.
5. Boeing 737-800
The 737-800 was the product of Boeing's merger with McDonnell Douglas and is essentially a stretched version of the regular 737. Unfortunately, it was involved in two fatal crashes in the last five years, giving it a less-than-stellar safety rating.
Nikiforov Konstantin on Wikimedia
6. Fokker F-28
There is a disproportionate number of fatal crashes associated with the F-28, which mostly run in countries with lower safety standards. Accidents have been linked to the plane's vulnerability in certain weather conditions, poor maintenance, and pilot error.
7. McDonnell Douglas MD-11
The MD-11 made headlines recently for all the wrong reasons when it was involved in a fatal UPS crash. It resulted in the FAA grounding of all of these models until investigations and repairs are made.
Konstantin von Wedelstaedt on Wikimedia
8. Ilyushin Il-76
The Ilyushin Il-76 is a Russian plane with a relatively high accident rate, having to do with its older design and technical failures. In the past 20 years, it has been involved in two separate crashes that killed over 100 people.
Ministry of Defence (Russia) on Wikimedia
9. Bombardier CRJ-200
The Bombardier CRJ-200 has been involved in several fatal crashes, though they've been mostly due to human error. Its safety record still looks poor on paper, though, which affects the public's perception of this plane.
10. Boeing DC-10
A slightly more modernized version of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 with plenty of the same problems, the Boeing DC-10's early history of design flaws, like the cargo door failing mid-flight, gave it an abysmal reputation because they led to major accidents. Luckily, there are only a precious few of these death machines still flying.
Now that we've covered the most dangerous planes to avoid, let's talk about the ones with near-perfect safety records.
1. Airbus A300
The A300 is Airbus's first production aircraft, and talk about hitting the ground running. It was cutting-edge at the time for being the world's first twin-engine, wide-body aircraft. Today, it's only flown commercially by four airlines, but you can rest assured that it's a safe aircraft, even though it's older.
2. Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Not every plane Boeing makes is bad. The 787 Dreamliner has a stellar safety reputation, which is good news considering it's one of the most widely used aircraft around the world. It had one fatal crash this year, but that was after a perfect record of transporting over 850 million people safely.
3. Boeing 777
The 777's accident and fatality rates are statistically very low compared to other aircraft models. It's considered one of the safest commercial aircraft ever built.
4. Airbus A318
Since it was put into production in 2003, the A318 hasn't been involved in any fatal accidents or major incidents at all. Unfortunately, the model is now reaching retirement, with only one airline, Air France, still flying it.
5. Airbus A380
Continuing to solidify Airbus's amazing reputation in the aviation industry, the A380 has not been involved in any fatal crashes or hull-loss accidents. It did, however, have two notable incidents involving an engine failure, but in both cases, it was able to land safely.
6. Boeing 747-8
Don't write off Boeing completely just because of the negative press they've been getting for some of their aircraft. The 747-8 has a perfect safety score, with zero fatal crashes or hull-loss incidents.
7. Airbus A220
The Airbus A220 has been grounded for engine maintenance on a couple of occasions, but that was a proactive measure in all cases. It has a perfect safety record and is considered one of the most technologically advanced commercial airliners by pilots.
8. Boeing 717
The Boeing 717 has been involved in a total of six incidents since its introduction in 1999, and none of those were fatal or involved hull loss. Despite its age, it's still considered one of the safest aircraft.
9. Bombardier CRJ700
Until one fatal crash this year, the CRJ700 had a perfect safety record over its 25-year career. It's known for being a reliable workhorse with great performance and efficiency.
10. Airbus A350
The A350 is one of the safest aircraft you can board. It's had over 1.5 million flights without a single fatality. It's equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, which are considered some of the most robust ever made.
