| Date/Time | Name / Group | Age | Notability | Accident Location | Aircraft | Details | Notes |
| Jan 11, 1980 01:23 |
Robert "Bo" Rein |
34 | Louisiana State University football coach | Over the Atlantic Ocean | Cessna 441 Conquest N441NC |
The plane veered off course and flew out over the Atlantic running out of fuel and crashing into the sea. Cause unknown. | |
| Mar 14, 1980 11:00 |
Anna Jantar U.S. Olympic boxing team |
29 |
Polish singer Sports team |
Near Warsaw, Poland | Polskie Linie Lotnicze Flight 007 Ilyushin-62 SP-LAA |
An engine disintegrated after power was applied during a go-around severing the rudder and elevator controls. All 87 aboard were killed including 22 members of the team. | PHOTO |
| Jun 23, 1980 | Sanjay Gandhi |
34 | Son of Indira Gandhi | Delhi, India | Pitt Special stunt plane | Killed while flying a stunt plane that was not properly tested and which he was not familiar with. 2 killed. | |
| Nov 18, 1980 | Krishnan Nair "Jayan" | 41 | Indian film star | Madras, India | Helicopter | Killed while performing his own stunt jumping from a motorbike to a helicopter. | |
| Dec 4, 1980 | Francisco Sá Carneiro |
45 | Portuguese prime minister | Lisbon, Portugal | Cessna 421 | A parliamentary inquiry in 1995 concluded the crash was the result of sinister elements. | |
| May 22, 1981 15:30 |
Boris Sagal |
58 | American film director. Father of actress Katey Sagal (Married with Children) | Near Portland, Oregon | Bell 206B N58004 |
Segal was decapitated, when he accidentally walked into the tail rotor of a helicopter while on location filming a movie. | PHOTO |
| May 24, 1981 15:00 |
Jaime Roldos Aguilera |
41 | President of Ecuador | Guanchanama, Ecuador |
Beech Super King Air 200 FAE-723 |
Crashed in poor weather. Rumored to not been an accident but deliberately engineered. All 9 aboard killed. | |
| Jul 31, 1981 11:15 |
General Omar Torrijos |
52 | Leader of Panama | Coclecito, Panama | Panamanian Air Force | The plane crashed under suspicious circumstances. Possible sabotage. All 7 aboard killed. | |
| Oct 5, 1981 | Jud Strunk |
44 | American country western song writer, singer, comedian | Carabasset, Maine | Fairchild M-62A N60542 WW II vintage open cockpit airplane |
The plane, piloted by Strunk, crashed while attempting to take off with full flaps. | PHOTO |
| Mar 19,1982 10:30 |
Randy Rhoads |
25 | Lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourn | Leesburg, Florida |
Beech Bonanza F35 N567LT |
The plane crashed into a house after a wing clipped Ozzy Osbourne's tour bus. The pilot was fooling around and attempting to to buzz the bus. All 3 aboard killed including the pilot and Rachel Youngblood, the band's hairdresser. | PHOTO |
| Apr 7, 1982 | Harald Ertl |
33 | Ausralian formula one race car driver | Giessen, Germany |
Light aircraft | He was killed while flying his family to their holiday home in northern Germany. His wife and son survived. 1 killed. | |
| May 17, 1982 | John Felten |
48 | American singer, sang with the Diamonds | Mount Shasta, California |
Beech A24R N9715L |
Crashed into Mt. Shasta en route from Reno, Nevada to Grants Pass, VFR flight into IFR conditions. Oregon. Felten's wife Linda and the pilot were also killed. | |
| Jul 23, 1982 02:30 |
Vic Morrow | 57 | American movie actor | Valencia, California | Bell UH-1B Huey helicopter N87701 |
The helicopter crashed while filming the movie "Twilight Zone", decapitating Vic Morrow and killing 2 child actors, Myca Dinh Le and Rene Chen. Special effect explosion hit the tail rotor causing the helicpoter to crash. | PHOTO |
| Jul 28, 1982 | Keith Green |
28 | Christian singer and minister | Lindale, Texas | Cessna 414 N110VM |
Shortly after taking off, the plane nose dived into the ground. Overloaded by 200 lbs. Green, along with his two children and 9 others aboard killed. | |
| Nov 23, 1982 | Grady Nutt |
47 | Christian humorist, comedian | Vinemont, Alabama | Beech 95-B55 N18411 |
The plane crashed while attempting to take off. All 3 aboard killed. | |
| Jun 2, 1983 19:20 |
Stan Rogers |
33 | Canadian folk singer | Cincinnati, Ohio | Air Canada Flight 797 Douglas DC-9-32 C-FTLU |
In-flight lavatory fire of unknown origin. Landed safely but passengers died of flash fire and smoke inhalation. 23 of 46 aboard killed. | PHOTO |
| Jun 27, 1983 |
Maxie Anderson Don Ida |
48 49 |
American balloonists | Bavarian Alps | Balloon | During a balloon race, explosive bolts misfired, causing the gondola of their helium balloon to plunge to the ground. | |
| Sep 1, 1983 06:30 |
Lawrence McDonald |
Georgia U.S. Rep. | Near Sakhalin Island, Russia | Korean Airlines Flight 007 Boeing 747-230B HL-7442 |
Shot down by a Soviet Air Force fighter after the plane drifted into Soviet airspace. Crashed into international waters in the Sea of Japan. All 269 aboard killed. | ||
| Nov 27, 1983 10:06 |
Jorge Ibarguengoita Angel Rama Marta Traba Manuel Scorza |
55 57 53 55 |
Mexican Movelist Uruguayan novelist Argentinean art critic Peruvian poet |
Madrid-Barajas, Spain | AVIANCA Flight 11 Boeing 747-283B HK2910 |
While attempting to land the plane impacted a series of hills. Procedural error by crew. One-hundred-eighty-one of 192 aboard killed. | |
| Dec 07, 1983 09:40 |
María "Fanny Cano" Damián |
39 | Mexican actress | Madrid, Spain | Iberia Airlines B-737-200 EC-CFJ |
The Boeing 727 struck a DC-9 while taking off in fog, snow and poor visibility. The DC-9 wandered on the runway by accident. Ninety-three of 135 aboard both planes killed. | PHOTO |
| Dec 12, 1983 17:30 |
Rex Dockery |
41 | Head coach, Memphis State University | Lawrenceberg, Tennessee | Pipper PA34-200T N66MZ |
On a dark, rainy night, the plane took a nose dive into the ground while attempting to land. Spatial disorientation. A staff and team member were also killed. | |
| Feb 11, 1985 18:56 |
Ben Abruzzo |
54 | American hot air baloonist | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Cessna 421C N6866K |
Collided with tops of trees after a baggage door opened, diverting the attention of Abruzzo,who was piloting the plane. All 6 aboard killed including Abruzzo's wife. | |
| Jul 13, 1985 | Claudio Cassinelli | 46 | Italian film, stage and television actor | Page, Arizona | Helicopter | While filming, he was on a helicopter that crashed into the Navajo Bridge due to pilot error | |
| Aug 12, 1985 18:56 |
Kyu Sakamoto |
43 | Japanese singer, actor, Was famous for his hit song “Sukiyaki.” | Ueno Village, Japan | Japan Air Lines Flight 123 Boeing 747-SR46 JA8119 |
Pressure bulkhead failure, improperly repaired 7 years earlier. Worst single aviation accident. 520 of 524 aboard killed. Sakamoto was famous for his hit song “Sukiyaki.” | PHOTO |
| Aug 25, 1985 22:05 |
Samantha Smith |
13 | Famous for writing to Soviet leader Andropov about nuclear war. | Auburn, Maine | Bar Harbor AL Flight 1808 Beechcraft 99 N300WP |
Crashed short of runway while landing. Pilot error. All 8 aboard killed. | |
| Sept 1, 1985 | Richie Panch |
30 | American race car driver | Rion, South Carolina | Piper PA-28-235-B N9340W |
Flew into heavy rain and squall line and came apart in mid-air. Pilot error. Poor judgment and planning. | |
| Sep 16, 1985 | Art Scholl |
53 | American professional stunt pilot | Off Carlsbad, California | Aerotec Pitts S-2A N13AS |
Crashed into the Pacific Ocean while performing an inverted flat spin while filming for the movie "Top Gun." | PHOTO |
| Sep 23, 1985 | Larry Shue |
39 | American playwright | Grottoes Grove, Virginia | Henson Airlines Flight 1517 Beechcraft 99 N339HA |
The commuter plane he was flying in hit a 2,400 ft. mountain while attempting to land. Improper IFR procedure and lack of radio equipment. | |
| Nov 25, 1985 |
Iowa State University women's cross-country team |
Sports team | Des Moines, Iowa | Rockwell International 500-S N81589 |
The aircraft crashed into tree tops and a power pole while attempting to land. Icing of wings. All 7 aboard including 3 team members and 2 coaches killed. | PHOTO | |
| Dec 31, 1985 17:16 |
Ricky Nelson |
45 | American rock and roll singer | De Kalb, Texas | Douglas DC-3 N711Y |
Crashed into a field after smoke filled the cockpit and cabin. Possible faulty heater. Nelson's fiancé Helen Blair, soundman Clark Russell and members of his back-up group The Stone Canyon Band, Andy Chapin, Rick Intveld, Bobby Neal, and Patrick Woodward also killed. Both pilots survived. | PHOTO |
| Jan 14, 1986 19:30 |
Daniel Balavoine Thierry Sabine |
34 36 |
French singer and songwriter French motorcycle racer |
Mali | AS 350 Eucreuil helicopter |
The helicopter crashed into a dune during a sand storm. All 5 aboard killed. | |
| Jan 28, 1986 11:39 |
Ronald McNair Ellison Onizuka Judith Resnik, 36 Michael Smith, Gregory Jarvis, Francis Scobee Sharon Christa McAuliffe |
35 39 36 40 41 46 37 |
Astronauts aboard the shuttle Callenger | Cape Canaveral, Florida | Space Shuttle Challenger | The craft broke up in flight, 73 seconds after launch, due to damage from an exhaust flame, leaking through a defective O ring in the solid fuel rocket. Six astronauts and civilian teacher, Christa McAuliffe, 37, killed. | PHOTO |
| May 24, 1986 |
Stephen D. Thorne 33, U.S. astronaut |
33 | U.S. astronauts | Near Santa Fe, Texas | Aerotec Pitts S-2A N80004 |
Thorne was killed when the stunt plane he was a passenger in spun into the ground. Short in electrical system distracted the pilot. | |
| Jun 4, 1986 | Bruce Wayne Talbert |
53 | Radio station KFI traffic reporter | Fullerton, California | Cessna 177B N35252 |
Taking off to report traffic, the plane's engine misfired and the aircraft nosed into the ground. The pilot had an elevated blood alcohol. | |
| Oct 19, 1986 19:21 |
Samora Machel |
52 | Mozambique president | Lembombo Mts., South Africa | Mozambique Air Tupolev 134A C9-CAA |
Crashed in a storm into high ground while trying to land at Maputo. Pilot error. Navigation error. GPWS ignored. Possible pirate signal disoriented pilot. Thirty-four of 43 aboard killed. | |
| Oct 22, 1986 | Jane Dornacker |
39 | American rock musician, actress, comedian, and KNBC traffic reporter. | Manhattan, New York | Enstrom F-28F helicopter N8617B |
While on the air conducting a traffic report, Dornacker's helicopter crashed from a height of 75 feet into a fence and fell into the Hudson River. She died on the way to the hospital. This was her second crash that year. Maintenance error. The clutch that was installed in the helicopter was a military surplus part which was not intended for use in a civil aircraft. | PHOTO |
| Nov 25, 1986 | Nancy McCormick |
26 | WKRC traffic reporter | Cincinnati, Ohio | Bell 206B helicopter N59610 |
The helicopter crashed after the non-instrument rated pilot entered an area of fog and crashed into rising terrain. | |
| Mar 5, 1987 13:33 |
Don Yenko |
59 | American race car builder, designer | Charleston, West Virginia | Cessna 210M N1230M |
The plane landed hard, bounced, veered off the runway and hit a dirt bank dove into a ravine and crashed. Pilot error. All 4 aboard killed. | |
| Mar 21, 1987 | Dino Martin |
35 | Son of entertainer Dean Martin | Mount San Gorgonio, California | F-4C Phantom jet fighter | While performing a maximum takeoff climb, the Air National Guard aircraft, entered clouds and crashed into a wall of granite while inverted at a speed of 560 mph. | PHOTO |
| Aug 16, 1987 20:45 |
Nick Vanos 24, basketball player, Phoenix Suns center |
24 | Basketball player for the Phoenix Suns, center | Romulus, Michigan | Northwest Airlines Flight 255 MD-82 N312RC |
Crashed into underpass shortly after takeoff. Stalled and crashed on takeoff. Slats and flaps not properly set. All 155 aboard killed except one survivor. | PHOTO |
| Dec 8, 1987 | Alianza Lima soccer team | Sports team | Near Lima, Peru | Fokker F-27 AE-560 |
Crashed into the sea after a fly-by to see if landing gear was down. Forty-two of 43 aboard killed. | ||
| May 29, 1988 |
Salem bin Laden |
42 | Brother of Osama bin Laden | Near San Antonio, Texas | Spirit Ultralight | Took off and crashed into high power lines and fell 115 feet to the ground. | |
| Aug 17, 1988 16:30 |
Arnold Raphel Mohammed Zia ul-Hag |
45 64 |
U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan President of Pakistan |
Near Bahawalpur, Pakistan | Pakistan Air Force Lockheed C-130B |
Crashed 10 minutes after taking off from Bahawalpur. Act of sabotage. Detonation of a low-explosive device. All 30 aboard killed. | |
| Sep 30, 1988 | Al Holbert |
41 | American race car driver | Columbus, Ohio | Piper PA-60-601P N14HR |
Piloted by Hobert, the plane flew in an erratic manner and crashed into terrain shortly after taking off. Clamshell door not closed. | |
| Nov 14, 1988 | Davis Love Jr | 53 | American professional golfer | Jacksonville Florida | Private aircraft | The private plane crashed while approaching Jacksonville in fog. All 4 aboard killed. | |
| Dec 21, 1988 18:56 |
Paul Jeffreys |
33 | English Musician. Bass player with Cockney Rebel | Lockerbie, Scotland | Pan American Flight 103 B-747 N739PA |
Terrorist bombing. Jeffreys was killed along with his newlywed wife Rachel. All 259 aboard killed. | PHOTO |
| Jun 7, 1989 04:27 |
Colorful 11 |
Dutch soccer team | Paramaribo, Suriname | Surinam Airways Flight 764 DC-8-62 N1809E |
Hit a tree after 3 landing attempts in fog. Running out of fuel the crew could not get an ILS signal and ignored GPS warnings. Of the 187 aboard, 176 killed. | ||
| Jun 17, 1989 | S. David Griggs 49, |
49 | U.S. astronaut | Earle, Arkansas | North American AT-6D N3931S |
Killed when the single-engine stunt plane he was flying crashed Pilot error Improper planning, over confidence. | |
| Jul 19, 1989 16:00 |
Jay Ramsdell |
25 | Commissioner of the Continental Basketball Association | Sioux City, Iowa | United Airlines Flight 232 DC-10-10 N1819U |
Catastrophic failure of the No. 2 engine which lead to loss of all hydraulics. Crash landed while attempting an emergency landing. One hundred-eleven of 298 killed. | |
| Aug 7, 1989 |
George Thomas "Mickey" Leland |
45 | Texas U.S. Rep. | Near Gambela, Ethiopia |
de Havilland Twin Otter ET-AIL |
Crashed into a mountain in thunderstorms and poor weather conditions during a refugee relief inspection flight. Pilot flew into an area of bad weather at low altitude and failed to maintain visual contact with the ground. All 16 aboard killed. | PHOTO |
| Aug 13, 1989 21:25 |
Larkin Smith |
45 | Mississippi U.S. Rep. | Janice, Mississippi | Cessna 177RG N1976Q |
Spiraled into the ground. Pilot error. His non-instrument rated pilot flew into IFR conditions and lost control in hazy weather conditions. |