From bird strikes to engine failures, these ten real-life incidents of emergency landings reveal how pilot skill, training, and quick thinking saved lives in the air.
Emergency landings represent some of the most high-pressure situations in aviation, often testing the limits of aircraft engineering, pilot skill, and crisis response protocols. While commercial air travel is widely recognised as one of the safest modes of transportation—with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reporting a global accident rate of just 1.30 per million flights in 2022—unexpected incidents still occur.
These include engine failures, fuel exhaustion, bird strikes, and technical malfunctions, which may compel pilots to execute emergency or forced landings. Despite such challenges, many of these events have resulted in minimal or no casualties, thanks to swift action and training.
Some emergency landings have even become case studies in flight safety and airmanship, used by aviation authorities and pilot academies worldwide for training purposes. According to the Aviation Safety Network, less than 12% of aircraft incidents involve fatalities, a testament to robust safety standards and operational protocols.
Read The 10 wonders of aviation engineering in history.
Top 10 emergency landings
1. US Airways Flight 1549 – The “Miracle on the Hudson” (2009)
Aircraft: Airbus A320-214
Location: Hudson River, New York, USA
Pilot: Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger
On 15 January 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 departed from LaGuardia Airport in New York City, bound for Charlotte, North Carolina. Shortly after takeoff, at an altitude of approximately 2,800 feet, the aircraft encountered a flock of Canada geese, resulting in the loss of thrust in both engines. Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles quickly assessed their options. Realising that returning to LaGuardia or diverting to nearby Teterboro Airport was unfeasible given their low altitude and lack of engine power, they decided to execute an emergency water landing on the Hudson River.
Captain Sullenberger guided the aircraft to a ditching near midtown Manhattan. The successful water landing and prompt rescue operations by nearby ferries and emergency responders ensured that all 155 occupants survived, with only minor injuries reported. This incident was later dubbed the “Miracle on the Hudson” and highlighted the importance of pilot training and crew coordination in managing in-flight emergencies.
2. British Airways Flight 9 – The “Jakarta Incident” (1982)
Aircraft: Boeing 747-236B
Location: Near Jakarta, Indonesia
Pilot: Captain Eric Moody
On 24 June 1982, British Airways Flight 9 was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Perth when it inadvertently flew into a cloud of volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Galunggung in Indonesia. The ash caused all four engines to fail, leaving the aircraft gliding without power. Captain Eric Moody and his crew initiated a descent and managed to restart the engines after exiting the ash cloud.
The aircraft diverted to Jakarta and landed safely. Remarkably, there were no injuries among the 263 passengers and crew. This incident highlighted the dangers of volcanic ash to aviation and led to increased monitoring and reporting of volcanic activity to prevent similar occurrences.
3. Air Canada Flight 143 – The “Gimli Glider” (1983)
Aircraft: Boeing 767-233
Location: Gimli, Manitoba, Canada
Pilot: Captain Robert Pearson
On 23 July 1983, Air Canada Flight 143 was en route from Montreal to Edmonton when it ran out of fuel at an altitude of 41,000 feet due to a miscalculation stemming from metric conversion errors. The aircraft had been fuelled using pounds instead of kilograms, leading to less fuel being loaded than required. Captains Robert Pearson and Maurice Quintal managed to glide the aircraft without engine power to Gimli Industrial Park Airport, a decommissioned airbase in Manitoba, Canada.
Unbeknownst to the crew, the airstrip had been converted into a motor racing track and was in use at the time. Despite this, they executed a successful landing, and all 69 people on board survived. The aircraft earned the nickname “Gimli Glider,” and the incident underscored the critical importance of accurate fuel calculations and the potential consequences of human error in aviation operations.
4. TACA Flight 110 – Emergency Landing on a Levee (1988)
Aircraft: Boeing 737-300
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Pilot: Captain Carlos Dardano
On 24 May 1988, TACA Flight 110 encountered severe thunderstorms while descending towards New Orleans International Airport. The intense weather conditions led to the ingestion of heavy rain and hail, causing both engines to flame out and leaving the aircraft without power. Captain Carlos Dardano and his crew attempted to restart the engines multiple times without success.
Realising that reaching the airport was not feasible, they identified a narrow grass levee as a potential landing site. Captain Dardano executed a flawless emergency landing on the levee, with all 45 passengers and crew escaping unharmed. The aircraft sustained minimal damage and was later repaired and returned to service. This incident showcased exceptional piloting skills and highlighted the importance of crew resource management during in-flight emergencies.
5. Qantas Flight 32 – Engine Explosion Over Singapore (2010)
Aircraft: Airbus A380-842
Location: Singapore Changi Airport
Pilot: Captain Richard de Crespigny
On 4 November 2010, Qantas Flight 32 suffered an uncontained engine failure shortly after takeoff from Singapore’s Changi Airport. The explosion in one of the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines caused significant damage to the aircraft’s wing, fuel system, and flight controls. Captain Richard de Crespigny and his crew faced multiple system failures and numerous alarms in the cockpit.
Despite the complexity of the situation, they managed to stabilise the aircraft and return to Singapore for an emergency landing. All 469 passengers and crew survived without injury. The incident was one of the most serious involving the Airbus A380 and led to extensive investigations and subsequent modifications to the aircraft’s engines.
Read: 4IR, Digital Twins, AI, Metaverse Impact In the Aeronautics, Aerospace, Defence Industry
6. Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 – Hijacking and Ditching (1996)
Aircraft: Boeing 767-260ER
Location: Indian Ocean near Comoros
Pilot: Captain Leul Abate
On 23 November 1996, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 was en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi when it was hijacked by three Ethiopian men seeking asylum in Australia. The hijackers, reportedly intoxicated, stormed the cockpit and demanded that the aircraft be flown to Australia. Captain Leul Abate and First Officer Yonas Mekuria attempted to explain that the aircraft did not have sufficient fuel for such a journey, but the hijackers were unyielding and even violent, assaulting the first officer.
Under duress, Captain Abate complied with the hijackers’ demands, flying eastward over the Indian Ocean. As fuel dwindled, the crew attempted to reach the Comoros Islands. Approximately 12 miles off the coast of Grande Comore, the aircraft exhausted its fuel reserves. Captain Abate announced an emergency landing, aiming to ditch the aircraft near a beach to maximise the chances of survival.
The Boeing 767 approached the water with its landing gear retracted. Upon impact, the left engine struck the water first, causing the aircraft to break apart and invert. The fuselage was severely damaged, leading to the deaths of 125 of the 175 occupants, including the hijackers. The 50 survivors, including both pilots, were rescued by local fishermen and residents.
7. United Airlines Flight 232 – Sioux City Crash Landing (1989)
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10
Location: Sioux City, Iowa, USA
Pilot: Captain Alfred C. Haynes
On 19 July 1989, United Airlines Flight 232 departed Denver, Colorado, bound for Chicago, Illinois. Cruising at 37,000 feet, the aircraft experienced a catastrophic failure of its tail-mounted number two engine. The engine’s fan disk disintegrated, and debris severed all three hydraulic lines, resulting in the loss of all flight controls.
Captain Alfred C. Haynes, along with First Officer William Records and Flight Engineer Dudley Dvorak, faced the unprecedented challenge of controlling the aircraft without conventional flight controls. They discovered that by adjusting the thrust on the two remaining wing-mounted engines, they could achieve limited control over the aircraft’s direction and descent rate. DC-10 flight instructor Dennis E. Fitch, who was among the passengers, volunteered his assistance and was instrumental in managing the engine thrust to aid in controlling the aircraft.
The crew coordinated with air traffic control and prepared for an emergency landing at Sioux Gateway Airport in Iowa. Despite their efforts, the aircraft approached the runway with excessive speed and a right-wing low attitude. Upon touchdown, the right wingtip struck the runway, causing the aircraft to cartwheel and break apart. The ensuing fire and structural damage resulted in the deaths of 112 of the 296 occupants. Remarkably, 184 people survived, a testament to the crew’s resourcefulness and the prompt response of emergency services.
8. British Airways Flight 5390 – Windscreen Blowout (1990)
Aircraft: BAC One-Eleven 528FL
Location: Southampton, UK
Pilot: Captain Tim Lancaster
On 10 June 1990, British Airways Flight 5390 took off from Birmingham Airport, UK, heading for Málaga, Spain. At an altitude of 17,300 feet, over Didcot, Oxfordshire, a cockpit windscreen panel detached due to incorrect installation, causing explosive decompression. Captain Tim Lancaster was partially ejected from the cockpit, with only his legs remaining inside, as he was held by his seatbelt.
Flight attendant Nigel Ogden quickly grabbed Captain Lancaster’s legs, preventing him from being fully ejected. Despite the intense wind and cold temperatures, Ogden and other crew members managed to pull the captain back into the cabin. First Officer Alastair Atchison took control of the aircraft, initiating an emergency descent and diverting to Southampton Airport. He successfully landed the aircraft with no further incident.
Captain Lancaster survived with frostbite, fractures, and bruising. The investigation revealed that the windscreen had been installed with incorrect bolts that were smaller in diameter than specified.
9. DHL Airbus A300 – Baghdad Missile Strike (2003)
Aircraft: Airbus A300B4-200F
Location: Baghdad International Airport, Iraq
Pilot: Captain Éric Gennotte
On 22 November 2003, a DHL cargo flight operating out of Baghdad International Airport was hit by a surface-to-air missile shortly after takeoff. The aircraft, carrying no passengers and only three crew members, suffered a direct hit to its left wing. The missile caused a fire and destroyed all three hydraulic systems—resulting in the complete loss of conventional flight controls.
Despite the grave situation, Captain Éric Gennotte, with First Officer Steeve Michielsen and Flight Engineer Mario Rofail, remained calm. With no ability to operate the ailerons, rudder, or elevators, they relied solely on differential engine thrust to manoeuvre the aircraft. By carefully adjusting power to each engine, they were able to steer and descend back toward Baghdad airport.
The crew executed a hard but safe landing, and all three men walked away uninjured. The successful recovery of the aircraft under such circumstances was hailed as a landmark in aviation emergency handling. The aircraft was later retired due to extensive damage.
10. LOT Polish Airlines Flight 16 – Gear Failure in Warsaw (2011)
Aircraft: Boeing 767-300ER
Location: Warsaw Chopin Airport, Poland
Pilot: Captain Tadeusz Wrona
On 1 November 2011, LOT Polish Airlines Flight 16 was returning from Newark, New Jersey to Warsaw when a technical fault rendered the aircraft’s landing gear unusable. A hydraulic leak shortly after takeoff had gone unnoticed, and as the aircraft approached Warsaw, repeated attempts to lower the gear—both by normal and emergency methods—failed.
Captain Tadeusz Wrona, an experienced pilot and former glider instructor, decided on a belly landing. After circling for over an hour to burn off fuel and prepare passengers for an emergency evacuation, he brought the aircraft in smoothly, touching down on its fuselage. Sparks and smoke accompanied the landing, but no fire broke out, and the plane came to a stop on the runway.
All 231 people on board survived without injury. The landing was widely praised by aviation experts and the public, and Captain Wrona was recognised for his skill. The aircraft, although heavily damaged, had protected its occupants perfectly during the gear-up landing.
Key lessons from historic emergency landings
Each of these emergency landings offers valuable insights into aviation safety, operational procedures, and human performance under pressure. They highlight several key lessons:
- The importance of pilot training: Many of the successful outcomes were due to exceptional piloting skills, often honed through rigorous simulation training. Situations like the “Miracle on the Hudson” and the “Gimli Glider” underscore the necessity of preparing for rare but critical scenarios.
- Engineering resilience: Aircraft are designed with multiple redundancies. Incidents such as the volcanic ash failure in British Airways Flight 9 and the fuel leak in Air Transat Flight 236 demonstrate the robustness of aircraft structures and systems even under duress.
- Communication and teamwork: Efficient coordination between cockpit crews, cabin staff, and air traffic control played a major role in averting disaster. Clear communication and role adherence proved vital in nearly every event.
- Emergency preparedness: Proper emergency protocols, swift evacuation procedures, and passenger awareness can drastically reduce the risk of injury or death. The safe evacuation of passengers from burning or water-bound aircraft is a testament to the effectiveness of crew training.
Read More:
What is one of the best ways to get reliable information about a product?
earning a degree can be expensive but which example shows why it might be worth it?
Himani Verma is a seasoned content writer and SEO expert, with experience in digital media. She has held various senior writing positions at enterprises like CloudTDMS (Synthetic Data Factory), Barrownz Group, and ATZA. Himani has also been Editorial Writer at Hindustan Time, a leading Indian English language news platform. She excels in content creation, proofreading, and editing, ensuring that every piece is polished and impactful. Her expertise in crafting SEO-friendly content for multiple verticals of businesses, including technology, healthcare, finance, sports, innovation, and more.
