List of fatalities from aviation accidents

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

This list is sectioned by occupation.

See also: list of deaths by aircraft misadventure

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.

Aviation

• Elsa Andersson, 1922, first Swedish aviatrix
• Michael J. Adams, 1967, test pilot killed during X-15 mission
• Charles Bassett, 1966, American Astronaut killed in a routine airplane flight with Elliott See.
• Milo Burcham, 1944, Lockheed test pilot
• Richard Bong, 1945, US World War II fighter ace and 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
• Graydon Evans, 1943, test pilot for Consolidated Aircraft Corporation
• Harold Geiger, US Army Major, aviation pioneer, namesake of Geiger Field, now Spokane International Airport
• 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
• Yuri Gagarin, Russian cosmonaut and the first man to go into space
• Richard E. Gray, test pilot
• Mark Hanna, 1999, British display pilot
• Amy Johnson, British pilot
• Iven Carl Kincheloe, Jr., 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 licence
• Jim LeRoy, 2007, Stunt Performer Bulldog Airshows
• Otto Lilienthal, 1896, German glider pioneer
• Paul Mantz, 1965, racing and stunt 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
• Jack Ridley, 1957, test pilot
• Eddie August Schneider, transcontinental record holder
• 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
• Art Scholl, 1986, aerobatic and stunt performer
• 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
• Space Shuttle Challenger, and Space Shuttle Columbia crews.

See also: List of space disasters

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

Entertainment

Individuals

(By first name)

• Aaliyah, 2001, actress, singer, model & dancer
• Anna Jantar, 1980, Polish singer
• Audie Murphy, 1971, actor and decorated [[United States Army} US soldier]]
• B.H. DeLay, 1923, aviator actor
• Blanca Estela Pavón, 1949, Mexican film actress
• 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
• Bob Collins, 2000, WGN (AM) radio personality
• Bruce Geller, 1978, TV producer/creator, Mission: Impossible
• Buddy Clark, 1949, singer
• Carlos Gardel, 1935, Argentinian singer
• Carole Lombard, 1942, actress
• 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
• Daniel Balavoine, 1986, French singer and songwriter. (on the same helicopter as Thierry Sabine)
• 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, 16 november 1980,Malayalam film actor
• 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
• 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
• Pablo Santos, 2006, Mexican actor
• Pedro Infante, 1957, Mexican singer and actor
• Peter Tomarken, 2006, former game show host, Press Your Luck
• Philippa Schuyler, 1967, American, musician
• Randy Rhoads, 1982, Rock and classical guitarist
• Renny Ottolina, 1978, Venezuelan TV producer and entertainer
• Ricky Nelson, 1985, actor and singer
• Soundarya, 2004, 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
• 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 on a Convair Metropolitan crash.
• Mamonas Assassinas, 1996, Brazilian 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
• 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.
• 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-Cassel, 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, 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
• Carlos Pace, 1977, Formula One driver
• Charles Peete, 1956, MLB player
• Colin McRae, 2007, Scottish rally driver
• Cory Lidle, 2006, MLB player
• Davey Allison, 1993, NASCAR driver (helicopter crash)
• Derek Bennett, 1978, founder of Chevron Cars Ltd (hang gliding accident)
• Duncan Edwards, 1958, Manchester United English Football player
• 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
• Paul Morgan, 2001, British race car engineer and co-founder of Ilmor Engineering
• Jason Baldwin, 2005, SCORE/Baja and Corr Pro-4 Truck driver
• Jim Harding, 1991, MLB player
• 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
• Marcel Cerdan, 1949, French world boxing champion
• Mack Hellings, 1951, US racing driver
• 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
• 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
• Thurman Munson, 1979, MLB player
• Tom Gastall, 1956, MLB player
• Tony Bettenhausen, Jr., 2000, CART driver/owner
• Tony Lema, 1966, champion golfer
• Thierry Sabine, 1986, Paris-Dakar rally founder. (on the same helicopter as Daniel Balavoine)
• Wal L Handley, 1941, motorcycle racer (military action)
• Wilbur Shaw, 1954, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner
• 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

Collective

• 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 Dnyeprodzerzhinsk.
• 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
• US Olympic boxing team, 1980, all team members except for Bobby Czyz, Marvis Frazier and Lee Roy Murphy
• US figure skating entire 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
• 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
• Peter Mueller, camper at Culver Academies
• 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
• Samantha Smith, young activist
• Robert Smithson, Earthworks artist
• Thanikaimoni, Indian Palynologist
• 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

External links

• A detailed list at PlaneCrashInfo.com
• Airplane crash page in Fuller Up, Dead Musician Directory