6 Plane Scares In A Week: From Crashes To Near-Misses Around The World

A growing number of aviation-related scares have come to light in recent weeks, reigniting public concern about air travel safety - especially in the wake of last month's fatal Air India crash.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization's most recent annual air safety report, the global accident rate stood at 1.87 per million departures in 2023. Meanwhile, Airbus data shows that of the nine hull loss accidents recorded so far in 2024 - none of which resulted in fatalities - only two occurred during takeoff.

Despite these relatively low figures, anxiety around flying remains on the rise. As aviation incidents continue to make headlines, passengers' fears are being stoked by both real emergencies and precautionary landings. Just this week alone, several troubling incidents have surfaced, here are some:

1. Airliner's close call with B-52 bomber in US

A Delta flight operated by SkyWest was approaching Minot, North Dakota, after taking off from Minneapolis on Friday, July 18, when the pilot made a sharp reroute after spotting another aircraft approaching from the right.

"I don't know how fast they were going, but they were a lot faster than us. I felt it was the safest thing to do to turn behind it," the pilot told passengers, according to recorded audio.

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"Sorry about the aggressive manoeuvre," he added. "This is not normal at all."

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it is investigating the incident involving SkyWest Airlines Flight 3788 at Minot International Airport on Friday, July 18.

2. Bangladesh fighter jet crashes into school

On Monday, July 21, a fighter jet crashed into a school in Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing 31 people, mostly children, in the country's deadliest aviation accident in decades.

The pupils had just been dismissed from class when the Chinese-made F-7 BGI aircraft slammed into the private Milestone School and College.

The death toll rose to 31, up from the military's earlier count of 27. More than 170 people were injured, with 69 still receiving treatment at various hospitals.

3. Air India plane veers off runway

An Air India Airbus A320 veered off the runway while landing in heavy rain at Mumbai International Airport on Monday, July 21, briefly halting runway operations and damaging the underside of one of its engines.

All passengers and crew disembarked safely, the airline said, though it did not confirm whether there were any injuries. The flight, AI2744, had arrived from Kochi in Kerala.

Mumbai airport authorities reported "minor damage to the primary runway" due to what they described as a "runway excursion." A secondary runway was activated to maintain flight operations.

4. Air India flight's power generator catches fire at Delhi airport

Air India grounded a passenger jet for inspection on Tuesday, July 22, after a fire broke out in its auxiliary power unit (APU) shortly after landing at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The APU is an electrical power generator typically located at the rear of an aircraft. Its primary function is to start the main engines and power essential onboard systems while the airplane is parked at the airport.

All passengers disembarked safely. The aircraft, which had arrived from Hong Kong, sustained some damage, though the airline did not specify the extent.

5. Russian plane crash kills nearly 50

A passenger plane carrying nearly 50 people crashed in a remote area of Russia's far eastern Amur region on Thursday, July 24, killing all on board, authorities said.

The plane, a twin-propeller Antonov-24, went down in remote, thickly forested terrain, leaving a column of smoke pouring from the crash site and no signs of survivors, according to state media and videos published by investigators.

The Angara Airlines flight was headed to the town of Tynda from the city of Blagoveshchensk when it disappeared from radar at around 1pm local time.

6. Small plane crashes into bridge in Italy

On Thusday, July 24, videos showed a small plane nosedive into a highway in Italy, killing both in the aircraft.

The aircraft can be seen slamming into the road and erupting into a major cloud of smoke and fire. The deceased, according to local media reports are: 75-year-old Sergio Ravaglia and 60-year-old Ann Maria De Stefano.

(With inputs from agencies)

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