List of people who died in aviation accidents and incidents

This is a list of some well-known people who died in aviation accidents and incidents. This list does not include victims of disasters who were not famous beyond their involvement in the accident, nor casualties of war.

The year after the names of persons is the year of the aviation-related death. Within each section, people are listed in alphabetical order by last name unless indicated.

This list is sectioned by occupation.

Aviation

*Michael J. Adams, 1967, test pilot killed during X-15 mission
*Elsa Andersson, 1922, first Swedish aviatrix
*Mel Apt, 1956, test pilot killed during Bell X-2 mission
*Charles Bassett, 1966, American Astronaut killed in a routine airplane flight with Elliott See.
*George Beurling, 1948, Canadian World War Two ace pilot
*Richard Bong, 1945, US World War II fighter ace and test pilot.
*Milo Burcham, 1944, Lockheed test pilot
*Jorge Chávez, 1910, Peruvian pilot
*Juan de la Cierva, inventor of the autogyro, on a fixed-wing plane
*Bessie Coleman, first African-American woman pilot
*Arthur Coningham RAF Air Marshal who disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle
*Scott Crossfield, 2006, test pilot
*Steponas Darius and Stasys Girenas, Lithuanian-American pilots
*Geoffrey de Havilland Jr, test pilot and son of the de Havilland aircraft's founder
*B.H. DeLay, 1923, stunt pilot, airport owner, aviation school owner
*Jessica Dubroff, 1996, 7-year-old aspiring pilot
*Amelia Earhart, 1937, pioneer woman pilot
*Glen Edwards, test pilot, namesake of Edwards AFB
*Richard E. Ellsworth, 1953, US Air Force Brigadier General
*Eugene Ely, 1911, pioneer pilot in US naval aviation
*Jeff Ethell, 1997, aviation writer
*Graydon Evans, 1943, test pilot for Consolidated Aircraft Corporation
*Manuel J. "Pete" Fernandez, 1980, Korean War ace pilot
*Yuri Gagarin, Russian cosmonaut and the first man to go into space, died in an accident with a MiG 15UTI
*Harold Geiger, US Army Major, aviation pioneer, namesake of Geiger Field, now Spokane International Airport
*Richard E. Gray, test pilot
*Mark Hanna, 1999, British display pilot
*Harry Hawker, 1921, Australian aviation pioneer and co-founder of Hawker Aircraft
*Bert Hinkler, 1933, Australian aviator.
*Amy Johnson, British pilot
*Iven Carl Kincheloe, Jr., Korean War ace pilot and test pilot
*Charles Kingsford Smith, 1935, Australian air pioneer who made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia in 1928.
*Raymonde de Laroche, 1919, first woman to earn a pilot's license
*Jim LeRoy, 2007, Stunt Performer Bulldog Airshows
*Otto Lilienthal, 1896, German glider pioneer
*Ormer Locklear, 1920, aerobatic and stunt performer, during filming of "The Skywayman".
*Nancy Lynn, 2006, an aerobatic pilot and flight instructor
*Paul Mantz, 1965, racing and stunt pilot, , during filming of "The Flight of the Phoenix"
*Joseph C. McConnell, 1954, Korean War ace pilot
*William A. Moffett, 1933, US Navy admiral, in crash of airship USS "Akron"
*Wiley Post, 1935, aviation pioneer
*Gary Powers, 1977, American spy-plane pilot
*Harriet Quimby, 1912, first licensed female pilot in the US
*Lothar von Richthofen, 1922, German World War One ace pilot
*Jack Ridley, 1957, test pilot
*Edvard Rusjan, 1911, first Slovene aviator, aircraft constructor
*Eddie August Schneider, transcontinental record holder
*Art Scholl, 1986, aerobatic and stunt performer, during filming of "Top Gun".
*Elliott See, 1966, American Astronaut killed in a routine airplane flight with Charles Bassett.
*Thomas Selfridge, 1908, first military pilot to die in related crash, namesake of Selfridge Field
*Frank Tallman, 1978, stuntman
*Charles Taylor, 1945, lead instructor, Flight 19
*Charles Ulm, 1934, Australian air pioneer who made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia in 1928.
*Joseph A. Walker, 1966 test pilot
*George Welch, 1954 American World War II Pearl Harbor and test pilot
*Steve Wittman, 1995, Aircraft designer and builder and air-race pilot
*"Apollo 1", Space Shuttle "Challenger", and Space Shuttle "Columbia" crews.

Aerial demonstration teams

* Kevin Davis, 2007, U.S. Navy Blue Angels pilot, (see 2007 Blue Angels South Carolina crash)

Business

*Tomáš Baťa, 1932, founder of Bata Shoes company
*John Bauer, 1998, CEO of Dynaweld.
*George Curtis Mathes Jr., 1983, Founder and Chairman of Curtis Mathes Corporation on Air Canada Flight 797
*Philip Don Estridge, 1985, IBM PC project manager, on Delta Air Lines Flight 191
*Carl August Baron von Gablenz, CEO of Lufthansa.
*Daniel Lewin, 2001, Founder and CTO of Akamai, on American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001.
*Alfred Lowenstein, 1928, Belgian entrepreneur and financier.
*Frank Pocher, 1997, CFO of ImmunoGen.
*Antonio Juarbe Poll, 1979, Puerto Rican businessman
*Wes Vance, 2003, COO of Diebold.
*Frank Wells, 1994, President and COO of The Walt Disney Company.
*John Whitney, 1998, Founder of Gaymar.
*Matthew Harding, 1996, Vice-Chairman of Chelsea Football Club.
*Jack O'Harra, 1996, Executive Producer of ABC Sports, in TWA Flight 800
*Charles Rolls ,1910, Co-Founder of Rolls-Royce Motors
*John T. Walton, 2005, son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton
*Ikuo Uragami, 1985, Chairman of House Food Japan, Japan Air Lines Flight 123.
*Edson Queiroz, 1982, Brazilian entrepreneur, in VASP Flight 168.
*Harald Quandt, 1967, German industralist.

Entertainment

Individuals

(By first name)
*Aaliyah, 2001, actress, singer, model & dancer
*Anna Jantar, 1980, Polish singer, on board LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007
*Audie Murphy, 1971, actor and decorated US soldier
*B.H. DeLay, 1923, aviator actor
*Berry Berenson, 2001, actress, photographer, and widow of actor Anthony Perkins; passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001.
*Bill Graham, 1991, rock concert promoter
*Blanca Estela Pavón, 1949, Mexican film actress
*Bob Collins, 2000, WGN (AM) radio personality
*Bruce Geller, 1978, TV producer/creator, ""
*Buddy Clark, 1949, singer
*Buddy Holly, 1959, singer
*Carlos Gardel, 1935, Argentinian singer
*Carole Lombard, 1942, actress
*Daniel Balavoine, 1986, French singer and songwriter. (on the same helicopter as Thierry Sabine)
*David Angell, 2001, TV producer, "Cheers", "Frasier" ; passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001.
*Dean Paul Martin, 1987, actor, singer and son of Dean Martin
*Eduardo Mata, 1995 Mexican orchestra conductor and composer.
*Eve Meyer, 1977 Actress, Playboy Centerfold June 1955; passenger aboard Pan Am Flight 1736 in the Tenerife disaster
*Fanny Cano, 1983, Mexican actress, during collision of Iberia and Aviaco jetliners, Barajas International Airport, Madrid
*Ginette Neveu, 1949, French classical violinist
*Glenn Miller, 1944, Big Band leader
*Grace Moore, 1947, opera singer (was on the same plane as Prince Gustav Adolf)
*Graeme "Shirley" Strachan, 2001, singer, Skyhooks
*Guido Cantelli, 1956, orchestral conductor
*Jacques Thibaud, 1953, French classical violinist
*Jayan, 1980, Malayalam film actor, accident whilst performing a film stunt.
*Jim Croce, 1973, singer
*Jim Reeves, 1964, country music singer
*John Denver, 1997, singer, songwriter, actor
*Jud Strunk, 1981, singer, songwriter, comedian
*June Thorburn, 1967, English actress
*Keith Green, 1982, contemporary Christian musician
*Kuniko Mukoda, 1981, Japanese writer, mainly television drama, on board Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 103
*Kyu Sakamoto, 1985, Japanese singer, on board Japan Airlines Flight 123
*Larry Shue, 1985, playwright
*Marcel Dadi, 1996, French musician on TWA Flight 800
*Martin Johnson, 1937 adventurer and film producer
*Melanie Thornton, 2001, singer, on board Crossair Flight 3597
*Mike Todd, 1958, film producer
*Otis Redding, 1967, singer
*Randy Rhodes, 1982, Guitarist with Ozzy Osbourne
*Pablo Santos, 2006, Mexican actor
*Patsy Cline, 1963, country singer
*Paul Jeffreys, 1988, original member of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, on board Pan Am Flight 103
*Pedro Infante, 1957, Mexican singer and actor
*Peter Tomarken, 2006, former game show host, "Press Your Luck"
*Philippa Schuyler, 1967, American, musician
*Renny Ottolina, 1978, Venezuelan TV producer and entertainer
*Ricky Nelson, 1985, actor and singer
*Ritchie Valens, 1959, singer
*Soundarya, 2004, Kollywood (Tamil) actress
*Stan Rogers, 1983, Canadian singer, on board Air Canada Flight 797
*Stevie Ray Vaughan, 1990, guitarist and singer
*Vic Morrow, 1982, actor
*Will Rogers, 1935, actor, humorist, singer
*William Gardner Knight, 1998, actor
*William Kapell, 1953, American classical pianist

Collective

(by year)
*Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper (Jiles Perry [J.P.] Richardson, Jr.) and Buddy Holly, 1959 "see The Day the Music Died"
*Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, 1963 country music singers
* Otis Redding and The Bar-Kays, 1967, American soul musicians
* Chase, 1974, American jazz rock band
*Lynyrd Skynyrd, American rock and roll band, 20 October 1977. Three musicians, including their vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines of The Honkettes died in a Convair Metropolitan crash.
* all seven members American country music singer Reba McEntire's backing band, 1990.
*Mamonas Assassinas, 1996, Brazilian comedy rock band
*Nathalie van het Ende and Maria Serrano Serrano of Passion Fruit and Melanie Thornton, (2001), on board Crossair Flight 3597

Politicians

(By first name)
*A. P. Hamann, 1977, City Manager of San Jose, California, during the Tenerife disaster
*Abdul Rahim Ghafoorzai, 1997, prime minister of the anti-Taliban government of northern Afghanistan
*Abdul Salam Arif, 1966, President of Iraq
*Ahmed Ould Bouceif, 1979, Prime Minister of Mauritania
*Alexander Lebed, 2002, Russian politician, governor of Krasnoyarsk
*Amaro da Costa, 1980, Portugal
*Arvid Lindman, 1936, Prime Minister of Sweden
*Barthélemy Boganda, 1959, President of the Central African Republic
*Lin Biao, 1971, politician and military commander, number two man under Mao Zedong in the People's Republic of China, while fleeing after a failed coup attempt.
*Boris Trajkovski, 2004, President of Macedonia
*Camilo Cienfuegos, October 28, 1959, Cuban revolutionary
*Bronson M. Cutting, 1935, US Senator from New Mexico
*Carlos Menem Jr., 1995, first son of former Argentine president Carlos Menem.
*Lord Thomson, 1930, British Secretary of State for Air, in the R101 disaster
*Cyprien Ntaryamira, 1994, President of Burundi
*Dag Hammarskjöld, 1961, Secretary-General of the United Nations
*de Lesseps Story Morrison, 1964, former Mayor of New Orleans
*Donald Nutter, 1962, Governor of Montana
*Džemal Bijedić, 1977, Premier of Yugoslavia
*Earl Snell, 1947, Governor of Oregon
*Edward Moss, 1964, aide of senator Ted Kennedy, who was also injured during accident
*Ernest Lundeen, 1940, US Senator from Minnesota
*Francisco Sá Carneiro, 1980, Prime Minister of Portugal
*Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi, 2002, 12th & 13th Speaker of the Lok Sabha, India
*George S. Mickelson, 1993, Governor of South Dakota
*George W. Collins, 1972
*Guadalupe Larriva, 2007, Defence minster of Ecuador.
*Hale Boggs, 1972, US Congressman from Louisiana
*Igor Farkhutdinov, 2003, Russian politician, governor of Sakhalin
*Jaime Roldós Aguilera, 1981, President of Ecuador
*James Waltermire, 1988, Secretary of State of Montana
*Jerry Litton, 1976
*Jerry Pettis, 1975, Representative from California
*Joel Rakotomalala, 1976, Prime Minister of Madagascar
*John Garang, 2005, Vice President of Sudan
*John Heinz, 1991, US Senator from Pennsylvania
*John Kristensen Brostuen, 1938, member of the North Dakota Senate
*John Purroy Mitchell, 1918, former Mayor of New York City. First politician to die in an aviation-related accident.
*John Tower, 1991, former US Senator from Texas
*Juvénal Habyarimana, 1994, President of Rwanda
*Larry McDonald, 1983, U.S. Congressman, aboard Korean Air Flight KAL-007
*Madhavrao Scindia, 2001, Indian politician
*Maurice Connolly, 1921, former US Congressman from Iowa.
*Mel Carnahan, 2000, Governor of Missouri
*Mickey Leland, 1989
*Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, 1988, President of Pakistan
*Nick Begich, 1972, US Congressman from Alaska
*Omar Torrijos, 1981, Leader of the Panamanian Revolution (President)
*Paul Wellstone, 2002, US Senator from Minnesota
*Ramón Magsaysay, 1957, president of the Philippines, in the crash of his presidential plane, "Mt. Pinatubo"
*Quirico Abeto, 1960, former Secretary of Justice of the Philippines
*René Barrientos, 1969, President of Bolivia
*Ron Brown, 1996, US Secretary of Commerce with over 30 others in Croatia
*Samora Machel, 1986, President of Mozambique
*Sanjay Gandhi, 1980, son of Indira Gandhi
*Subhash Chandra Bose, 1945, leader of the Indian Congress
*Thaddeus C. Sweet, 1928, US Congressman from New York.
*Tomas Cabili, 1957, former Philippine senator, during the crash of the "Mt. Pinatubo".
*William D. Byron, 1941, US Congressman from Maryland.
*William Kirk Kaynor, 1929, US Congressman from Massachusetts.
*Władysław Sikorski, 1943, Prime Minister of Poland

Royalty

*Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, 1936
*Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse, 1937
*Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, 1937
*Prince George, Duke of Kent, 1942
*Prince Christoph of Hesse, 1943
*Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, 1947 (was on the same plane as Grace Moore)
*Prince Ali Reza Pahlavi I, 1954
*Prince William of Gloucester, 1972
*Mohammadu Maccido, Sultan of Sokoto , 2006

Sports

(Categorized, by first name)

Individuals

*"Ace" Garnet Bailey, September 11, 2001, retired Boston Bruins player, NHL scout for the Los Angeles Kings, passenger on the United Airlines Flight 175 which hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center, died in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
*Al Holbert, 1988, 24 Hours of Le Mans winner
*Alan Kulwicki, 1993, NASCAR driver
*Bill Barilko, 1951, NHL player
*Bill McAfee, 1958, MLB player
*Bo Rein, 1980, LSU Tigers college football coach
*Brook Berringer, 1996, Nebraska Cornhuskers, college football quarterback
*Bruce Borland, 1999, golf course designer
*Carlos Cruz, 1970, Dominican world boxing champion
*Charles Peete, 1956, MLB player
*Clarence King, 1970, champion golfer, on board with Curtis Turner
*Colin McRae, 2007, Scottish rally driver [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/6997241.stm BBC SPORT | Motorsport | Tributes pour in for legend McRae ] ]
*Cory Lidle, 2006, MLB player
*Curtis Turner, 1970, NASCAR driver, on board with Clarence King
*Davey Allison, 1993, NASCAR driver (helicopter crash)
*David Purley, 1985, Formula One driver,
*Derek Bennett, 1978, founder of Chevron Cars Ltd (hang gliding accident)
*Fred C. Miller, 1954, Milwaukee Brewers director
*Hansie Cronje, 2002, South African Cricket captain
*Harald Ertl, 1982, Motoring journalist and Formula One driver
*Irv Medlinger, 1975, MLB player
*Jim Hardin, 1991, MLB player
*John Cooper, 1974, silver medalist in men's 400 m hurdles and 4 x 400 m relay at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, on board Turkish Airlines Flight 981
*Carlos Pace, 1977, Formula One driver
*José Dolhem, 1988, French race car driver and half-brother of Didier Pironi
*Ken Hubbs, 1964, MLB player
*Knute Rockne, 1931, Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coach
*Lotario Rangoni, 1942, Italian racing driver
*Lucho DeCastro, 2006, Touring car driver
*Mack Hellings, 1951, US racing driver
*Marcel Cerdan, 1949, French world boxing champion
*Néstor Chávez, 1969, Venezuelan MLB player
*Nick Vanos, 1987, NBA player, Phoenix Suns, on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255
*Nile Kinnick, 1943, American football player
*Paul Morgan, 2001, British race car engineer and co-founder of Ilmor Engineering
*Payne Stewart, 1999, champion golfer
*Rafael Osuna, Mexican tennis player
*Rick Tolley, 1970, Marshall University football head coach
*Roberto Clemente, 1972, Puerto Rican MLB player
*Rocky Marciano, 1969, former world boxing champion
*Rolls Gracie, 1982, practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and member of the Gracie family (hang gliding accident)
*Ron Flockhart, 1962, 24 Hours of Le Mans winner
*Steve Hislop, 2003, Isle of Man TT winner
*Thierry Sabine, 1986, Paris-Dakar rally founder. (on the same helicopter as Daniel Balavoine)
*Thurman Munson, 1979, MLB player
*Tom Gastall, 1956, MLB player
*Tommy Hitchcock, Jr., polo player
*Tony Bettenhausen, Jr., 2000, CART driver/owner
*Tony Lema, 1966, champion golfer
*Wal L Handley, 1941, motorcycle racer (military action)
*Wilbur Shaw, 1954, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner
*Jason Baldwin, 2005, SCORE/Baja and Corr Pro-4 Truck driver

Collective

*Apex Motorsport (Richard Lloyd, British racing driver and team owner & David Leslie, Scottish racing driver, plus another team personnel) 2008. (See 2008 Farnborough plane crash)
*Cuban National Fencing Team, 1976 all team, trainers and coach, terrorist attack, bomb exploded on a DC-8 of Cubana de Aviación, Barbados (see Cubana Flight 455)
*Cal Poly San Luis Obispo football players, 1960, 16 members of the team and six others
*Czechoslovak national ice hockey team members, 1949, 6 players, English Channel
*Embassy Hill Formula One team, 1975, 5 people including personnels, team owner, racing driver and former F1 world champion Graham Hill, driver Tony Brise and designer Andy Smallman.
*University of Evansville basketball team, 1977, 29 players, staff and fans
*Hendrick Motorsports NASCAR team, 2004, 10 people associated with the team, including family, team crew, and pilots (see October 2004 Martinsville plane crash)
*Italian A.C. Torino football squad, 1949, almost the entire team (see Superga air disaster)
*Manchester United football club, 23 players, staff and associates, 1958 (see Munich air disaster)
*Marshall University football team, 1970, 35 players, eight coaches, and 25 boosters (see Southern Airways Flight 932)
*Oklahoma State University, 2001, ten people associated with men's basketball team (including two players)
*Pakhtakor professional football club, 17 players, 1979, on air above Dniprodzerzhynsk.
*Puerto Rico national women's volleyball team, 1970, most members of the team (on the same flight as Carlos Cruz)
*Surinam professional football team, fourteen players of an ad hoc, at Zanderij airport, Paramaribo (see Surinam Airways Flight PY764)
*Uruguay's "Stella Maris" rugby union team, 1972, 24 of 40 team members (see Andes flight disaster)
*USAC, April 1978, eight series officials, returning from auto race in Trenton, New Jersey
*U.S. Olympic boxing team, 1980, all team members except for Bobby Czyz, Marvis Frazier and Lee Roy Murphy, on LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007
*U.S. Figure Skating team, 1961, on Sabena Flight 548
*Orfeon Universitario, 1976, the entire Choral Group of Venezuelan Central University, at Azores Island, Portugal
*Wichita State University, 1970, 31 players, coaches and supporters, at Colorado
*Zambia national football team members, 1993

Others

*Roald Amundsen, Norwegian explorer
*Frederick Banting, 1941, co-discovered insulin.
*Gary Caradori, 1990, investigating Lawrence King and Franklin Community Credit Union
*Philippe Cousteau, son of Jacques-Yves Cousteau
*Matthew Gannon, 1988, CIA Officer, on board Pan Am Flight 103
*Muhammad bin Laden, father of Osama bin Laden
*Salem bin Laden, half-brother of Osama bin Laden
*Teddy Ebersol, son of Dick Ebersol
*Mohamed Samir Ferrat, 1998, associate of Ron Brown
*Herschell Friday, 1994, Clinton fundraiser
*Dorothy Hunt, 1972, wife of E. Howard Hunt, on board United Airlines Flight 553
*Joseph LaMotta, noted chef, son of Jake LaMotta
*Alan P. Merriam, 1980, ethnomusicologist, on board LOT Polish Airlines Flight 007
*Peter Mueller, 2005, aviation student pilot at Culver Academies
*Audie Murphy, Medal of Honor Recipient and Actor
*Maciej Nowicki (also known as Matthew Nowicki), 1950, Polish architect and chair of dept. of architecture at North Carolina State University, in TWA Flight 903
*Alexander Onassis, son of Aristotle Onassis
*Lionel Poilâne, 2002, French baker and entrepreneur
*C. Victor Raiser II, 1992, Clinton fundraiser
*Lance Reventlow, 1972, entrepreneur and racecar driver
*Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente, 1980, spanish naturalist
*Antoine de Saint Exupéry, 1944, french writer
*Betty Shaw, 2006, Wife of Europa kit airplane builder
*Clifford Shaw, 2006, Europa kit airplane builder
*Samantha Smith, young activist
*Robert Smithson, Earthworks artist
*Thanikaimoni, Indian Palynologist
*Fritz Todt, 1942, German Nazi official
*Bienvenido Tudtud, 1987, Filipino Catholic Bishop of Marawi City
*Hugh Ward, 1964, PI working with Guy Bannister
*Charles Orde Wingate, 1944, soldier and founder of the Chindits

Kennedy family

*Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, 1999, wife of John F. Kennedy Jr.
*John F. Kennedy, Jr., 1999, son of John F. Kennedy
*Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., 1944, older brother of John F. Kennedy
*Kathleen Agnes Kennedy Cavendish, 1948, younger sister of John F. Kennedy
*Lauren Bessette, 1999, sister of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and sister-in-law of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Caroline Kennedy.
*George Skakel, Sr., 1955, father of Ethel Skakel Kennedy and father-in-law of Robert F. Kennedy
*Ann Brannack Skakel, 1955, mother of Ethel Skakel Kennedy and mother-in-law of Robert F. Kennedy
*George Skakel, Jr., 1966, older brother of Ethel Skakel Kennedy and brother-in-law of Robert F. Kennedy

References

External links

* [http://www.planecrashinfo.com/famous.htm A detailed list at PlaneCrashInfo.com]
* [http://elvispelvis.com/airplanecrash.htm Airplane crash page in Fuller Up, Dead Musician Directory]