Airliner shootdown incidents have occurred since at least the 1930s, either intentionally or by accident. This chronological list shows instances of airliners being brought down by gunfire or missile attacks – including during wartime – rather than byterrorist bombings or sabotage of an airplane.

This incident is believed to be the first commercial passenger plane attacked by hostile forces.^[1] On 24 August 1938 – during theSecond Sino-Japanese War – theKweilin, aDC-2 jointly operated byChina National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) andPan American World Airways, carrying 18 passengers and crew, was forced down by Japanese aircraft in Chinese territory just north ofHong Kong. 15 people died when theKweilin, which made an emergencywater landing to avoid the attack, was strafed by the Japanese and sunk in a river. The American pilot Hugh L. Woods and two others survived. Three prominent Chinese bankers,Hu Yun,Xu Xinliu (Singloh Hsu), and Wang Yumei, were among the dead. It was later believed to be an assassination attempt onChinese presidentSun Yat-sen's only son,Sun Fo, who was believed by the Japanese to be aboard but missed the flight. The plane was refurbished, renamed theChungking, and was later involved in a second shootdown incident, in 1940.^[2]

OO-AUI, aDouglas DC-3-227B owned bySabena was hit by anti-aircraft fire overCalais on a flight fromMerville toLondon on May 23, 1940. The pilot made a forced landing nearArques, killing the navigator and injuring 2 passengers. The surviving crew and passengers were takenPOW.^[3]

TheKaleva (registered OH-ALL) was a civilianJunkers Ju 52-3/mge passenger aircraft operated by Finnish carrierAero O/Y, which was shot down by twoSovietIlyushin DB-3 bombers on 14 June 1940, over theBaltic Sea while en route fromTallinn,Estonia toHelsinki,Finland.^[4] This occurred during theInterim Peace betweenFinland and theSoviet Union, three months after the end of theWinter War, and a year before theContinuation War began. A few minutes after taking off in Tallinn, theKaleva was intercepted by Soviet DB-3s. The bombers opened fire with their machine guns and badly damaged theKaleva, causing it to ditch into seawater in theGulf of Finland, a few kilometers northeast ofKerilighthouse. All seven passengers and two crew members on board died.^[5]

F-ARTD, aDewoitine D.338 ofAir France, was accidentally shot down by French anti-aircraft fire nearOuistreham on June 20, 1940. The sole occupant was killed.^[6]

F-AQBA, another Dewoitine D.338 of Air France, was shot down by a Japanese fighter plane over theGulf of Tonkin on July 7, 1940. All 4 occupants were killed.^[7]

XXV, a Junkers Ju-52/3mte ofEurasia, was attacked by 3 Japanese fighters on a delivery flight nearKunming on October 26, 1940. The plane made aforced landing in a rice field and was strafed, but both occupants survived.^[8]

On 29 October 1940, the same DC-2 involved in the previous shootdown incident asKweilin, now renamedChungking, operated by CNAC, was destroyed by Japanese fighters atChangyi Airfield,Yunnan, China, after it made a scheduled landing and was coming to a stop.^[9] Nine people died, including the American pilot Walter "Foxie" Kent and Chinese architect Chang-Kan Chien. The plane caught fire and never flew again.

La Verrier, anAir FranceSNCAC NC.223.4 mail plane, disappeared on the first leg of a flight fromMarseille toDamascus with stopovers inBizerte andBeirut on November 24, 1940. All 7 on board, includingJean Chiappe, and the pilotHenri Guillaumet, are presumed to have died. No wreckage has been recovered, the plane radioed they were hit by machine-gun fire before disappearing; it has been theorized they were shot down in the nearbyBattle of Cape Spartivento that occurred on the same day.^[10]

PK-AFW, a Douglas DC-3-194C ofKNILM, was attacked by Japanese military aircraft on January 24, 1942, during a cargo flight. The plane made a forced landing nearSamarinda and all 3 occupants survived, but the plane was written off.^[11]

TheCorio, aShort Empire flying boat airliner, operated byQantas, was shot down byImperial Japanese Naval Air Service aircraft in the early days of thePacific War duringWorld War II off the coast ofWest Timor,Dutch East Indies, on 30 January 1942. Thirteen occupants were killed. CaptainAubrey Koch, along with another crewman and three passengers, swam to shore and were rescued.^[12]

TheCirce (G-AETZ), another Short S.23 Empire operated by Qantas (leased from BOAC), was evacuating civilians and military personnel fromTjilatjap toBroome on February 28, 1942, was shot down 400 km (248.5 miles) south of Tjilatjap by a Japanese bomber on maritime patrol fromDenpasar. All 22 occupants, 4 crew and 18 passengers, were killed.^[13]

PK-AFV, also known as the PH-ALPPelikaan (one of theKLM airliners that diverted during theGerman invasion of the Netherlands), was aDouglas DC-3 airliner operated byKNILM from 1940. On 3 March 1942, while on a flight fromBandung,Netherlands East Indies, toBroome, Australia, with the well-known KLM captainIvan Smirnov, the plane was attacked by three JapaneseMitsubishi A6M Zero fighter planes; PK-AFV successfully landed on the beach near Broome with damage and an engine fire but was then strafed and the flight engineer and three passengers (including a baby) were killed. Smirnov had a consignment of diamonds, worth at the time an estimated £150,000–300,000 (in 2023 an approximate £9–19 million), in his possession. The vast majority of these were lost or stolen following the crash.^[14][15]

PK-ALO, another Douglas DC-3 of KNILM, was also attacked on March 3, 1942. While landing at Broome, JapaneseA6M fighters fired at the aircraft. Pilot E.E. Hulsebos landed safely but the fighters attacked again, causing the aircraft to burn out; no one onboard was killed.^[16]

F-AREJ, an Air FranceLioré-et-Olivier H.246.1, was attacked byRAFHawker Hurricanes on a passenger flight from Marseille toAlgiers on August 13, 1942. The damaged aircraft managed to arrive at Algiers harbor but sank after landing. 4 passengers were killed.^[17]

I-TELO, another Savoia-Marchetti SM-75 of LATI, was shot down on a military flight fromTunis toCastelvetrano on November 15, 1942, killing all 4 on board. It is unknown who shot down the plane.^[18]

G-AGEJ, aBOACLockheed 18-40 Lodestar, was shot down by aJunkers Ju 88 ofLuftwaffe 10/NJG 3 piloted by lieutenant Werner Speidel on April 4, 1943, 50 kilometers (31.3 miles) NW ofSkagen, on a passenger flight fromStockholm toSaint Andrews. All 7 on board were killed.^[19]

I-MAST, another Savoia-Marchetti SM-75 of LATI, was shot down by RAF fighters on April 13, 1943, during a passenger flight over the Mediterranean. It is unknown if anyone died.^[20]

I-MONC, another Savoia-Marchetti SM-75 of LATI, was shot down by enemy fighters on April 19, 1943, during a passenger flight over the Mediterranean. It is unknown if anyone died.^[21]

BOAC Flight 777 was a scheduled civilian flight fromPortela Airport,Lisbon inneutral Portugal bound forBristol (Whitchurch) Airport,United Kingdom. TheDouglas DC-3 operating the route (registered G-AGBB, ex-PH-ALIIbis) had fled theGerman invasion of the Netherlands, and was owned and operated byKLM with a Dutch crew, albeit withBritish Overseas Airways Corporation flight numbers. On 1 June 1943,Ibis was attacked by eightGermanJunkers Ju 88 fighter bombers, who were not aware of the existence of the scheduled flight and the civilian status of the aircraft.Ibis crashed into theBay of Biscay killing all aboard, including English actorLeslie Howard.^[22]

TheGripen (registered SE-BAG) was aDouglas DC-3 which was attacked by aGermanJunkers Ju 88 fighter-bomber over the coast of the island of Hållö, Sweden on 22 October 1943 while flying a scheduled passenger flight fromAberdeen toStockholm.A ditching at sea was attempted but the aircraft flew against the cliffs and crashed. Of the fifteen occupants, two survived, the flight-engineer and a passenger, after they were thrown out of the rear part of the aircraft.^[23]

D-AOCA, a Junkers Ju-52/3m ofDeutsche Lufthansa, was shot down on April 17, 1944, during an Allied fighter sweep ofBelgrade,Yugoslavia (nowSerbia). The plane was on scheduled service E.17 fromVienna toAthens with stops in Belgrade,Sofia, andThessaloniki. The plane caught fire after being hit from the rear and starboard, crashing inAlt-Pasua, 26 km (16.1 miles) north ofSemlin; 5 of the 7 occupants were killed.^[24]

D-AMHL, aFocke-Wulf Fw 200D-2 of Deutsche Lufthansa, was intercepted and shot down by aBristol Beaufighter Mk VIF ofNo. 415 Squadron RCAF fromDijon, overSaint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux at 20:31 on September 27, 1944, on a passenger flight fromStuttgart toBarcelona. All 9 occupants were killed.^[25]

Friedrich Dahmen (D-ASHE), a Junkers Ju-52/3m of Deutsche Lufthansa, had to make a forced landing inKomárom County,Hungary, after being attacked by BritishMosquito fighters during a passenger flight on October 17, 1944. Of the 9 occupants, 1 passenger was killed.^[26]

D-ARHW, a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 of Deutsche Lufthansa, was shot down by a German patrol boat at 10:25 on November 29, 1944, offMålkläppen,Sweden, on a passenger flight fromBerlin to Stockholm. All 10 occupants were killed.^[27]

D-ANAJ, a Junkers Ju-52/3m of Deutsche Lufthansa, was shot down by the Soviets during an evacuation flight on April 20, 1945, in the forest atGlienig. Of the 20 occupants (3 crew and 17 passengers, including a woman), only 2 passengers survived. Among the dead was film directorHans Steinhoff. This plane was the last Deutsche Lufthansa flight to leave Berlin before WW2 ended, headed forEnns with a stop inPrague.^[28]

On April 29, 1948, aPan Am Douglas DC-3A (registration unknown) was shot at by riflemen shortly after takeoff fromSan Jose, Costa Rica, with several bullets hitting the fuselage, a tire blowing out, and a propeller being hit. Despite this substantial damage, the plane safely continued to its destination and was later repaired. All 12 occupants survived. Acommunist leader who was a passenger on the flight is suspected to have been the attackers' target.^[29]

HS-PC103, a Douglas C-47 ofThai airline Pacific Overseas Airlines, is believed to have been shot down off the west coast ofSumatra by Dutch pilots on October 25, 1948. The plane's route and fatality count (if any) is unknown.^[30]

F-OABJ, a Douglas C-47 ofAigle Azur, crashed during a passenger flight (route unknown) nearĐông Khê, present-dayVietnam, on November 27, 1949. All 10 occupants were killed. It is speculated that the plane was shot down by theViet Minh during a supply-drop flight.^[31]

On July 24, 1950, LR-AAN, a Douglas C-47A-40-DL ofAir Liban, was shot at by anIsraeliSpitfire on a flight fromJerusalem toBeirut over the Israel-Lebanon border area. The plane landed safely despite substantial damage and was later repaired. Of the 28 occupants, 3 passengers were killed.^[32]

F-BELI, aDouglas C-54 of Air France, was shot at by 2 SovietMiG-15 on April 29, 1952, near Berlin. The aircraft was hit 89 times, wounding 3 passengers and forcing engines no. 3 and 4 to be shut down. The plane made a safe landing at Berlin-Tempelhof and was later repaired. Soviets claimed the C-54 had strayed out of the international air corridor.^[33]

F-BEIB, a Douglas C-47 of Société des Transports Aériens d'Extrême-Orient (STAEO), was shot down by communistguerrillas during a passenger flight take off inPhan Thiet on May 4, 1952. Of the 14 occupants, only 1 crew member was killed. The plane was written off.^[34]

On July 27, 1953, anIlyushin Il-12 (registration unknown) ofAeroflot^{[additional citation(s) needed]} was shot at in North Korean airspace flying fromPort Arthur toVladivostok and crashed onto Chinese territory, killing all 21 occupants. The plane was shot down byUSAF Capt.Ralph S. Parr Jr. during an escort mission nearChunggang-jin; Parr mistakenly identified the aircraft as North Korean.^[35][36]

VR-HEU, aDouglas C-54 Skymaster airliner operated byCathay Pacific Airways^[37] en route fromBangkok toHong Kong on 23 July 1954, was shot down byPeople's Liberation Army Air ForceLavochkin La-11 fighters off the coast ofHainan Island; 10 of the 19 on board died.^[38][39][40]

El Al Flight 402, aLockheed L-049 Constellation (registered4X-AKC), was a passenger flight fromVienna,Austria, toTel Aviv,Israel, viaIstanbul,Turkey, on 27 July 1955. The aircraft strayed intoBulgarian airspace, refused to land, and was shot down by twoBulgarian Air ForceMiG-15 fighters several kilometers away from the Greek border nearPetrich, Bulgaria. All 7 crew and 51 passengers on board the airliner died.^[41][42]

TI-1022, aCurtiss C-46 Commando of Aerolineas Nacionales, left San Jose, Costa Rica, at 06:21 on June 1, 1959, for a farm airstrip nearVolcán, Panama, to carry a meat shipment toCuraçao. Instead of landing at Volcán, however, the plane landed at an unknown location in Costa Rica and was boarded by armed guerrillas and left forNicaragua to take part in the uprising against PresidentLuis Somoza. The plane was shot down by aNicaraguan Air Force P-51 and crashed into Nicaraguan territory, killing all on board. Apart from the 2 crew, the number of passengers is unknown.^[43]

Aeroflot Flight 902 was aTupolev Tu-104 flight on scheduled domestic service fromKhabarovsk toMoscow. On 30 June 1962, its wreckage was found 28 km (17 mi) east ofKrasnoyarsk Airport, in flat terrain. There were no survivors.^[44] An entry hole, with signs of fire damage on the cabin side of the fuselage, was consistent with that which could be caused by an anti-aircraft missile, and there was an unofficial confirmation that an anti-aircraft missile had gone astray during an air defense exercise in the area.^[44]

XV-NIC, a Douglas C-47 ofAir Vietnam, was shot down by communist ground fire on a domestic passenger flight fromQuang Ngai toSaigon on September 16, 1965, 11 km (6.9 miles) northeast of Quang Ngai. All 39 on board were killed, including 1 passenger who was found alive but died in a hospital.^[45]

During theIndo-Pakistani War of 1965 a Pakistani pilot shot down a civil aircraft with eight people onboard.^[46][47]

F-BELV, aBoeing S.307B-1 Stratoliner of Compagnie Internationale de Transports Civil Aériens (CITCA), disappeared nearHanoi on October 18, 1965, with all 13 onboard presumed dead. The plane was carrying 4 French crew members and 9ICSC members fromVientiane toHanoi. French and Canadian forces searched inLaos, and North Vietnamese authorities reported that they could not find the plane either. In 1996, a study by the CanadianDepartment of Foreign Affairs and International Trade concluded the plane had likely been shot down by a North Vietnamese military unit.^[48]

N3934C, a Douglas C-54 of Pan African Airlines, was hit by an anti-aircraft shell at 15:23 on April 25, 1969. Descending at 6500 feet intoEnugu fromLagos, the shell left a 5-foot hole on the starboard side and injured 5 passengers. The plane turned back to Lagos due to undercarriage issues and made a safe landing after the undercarriage made a free fall extension. The aircraft was later repaired.^[49]

Alitalia Flight 713, operated byDouglas DC-8-43 I-DIWL, was approaching Syrian airspace after takeoff fromTehran on June 26, 1970, and was told that Syrian airspace had been closed. The pilot requested vectors to Beirut, and was told to fly toDamascus and turn to Beirut from there. While at FL295 6.5 km (4.1 miles) east of Damascus, anair-to-air missile made direct contact with the left wing. The plane went down 3250 feet and the pilot turned off the no. 1 engine, landing safely at Beirut; all 94 occupants survived. At the time of the missile strike, severalEgyptianMiG-21 and IsraeliMirage IIICJ were fighting over Syria with someSyrianMiG-17 also being reported present.^[50]

Libyan Airlines Flight 114 was a regularly scheduled flight fromTripoli,Libya, viaBenghazi toCairo. At 10:30 on 21 February 1973, theBoeing 727 operating the flight left Tripoli, but became lost due to a combination of bad weather and equipment failure overnorthern Egypt around 13:44 (local time). It enteredIsraeli-controlled airspace over the occupiedSinai Peninsula, where it was intercepted by twoIsraeli Air ForceMcDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighters, refused to land, and was shot down. Of the 113 people on board, five survived, including the co-pilot.^[51][52]

Malév Flight 240 was a scheduled flight fromBudapest Ferihegy International Airport,Hungary, toBeirut International Airport,Lebanon. On 30 September 1975, the aircraft operating the route, aTupolev Tu-154 ofMalév Hungarian Airlines, on its final approach for landing, crashed into theMediterranean Sea just off the coast ofLebanon. All fifty passengers and ten crew on board were killed.^[53][54] No official investigation has ever been conducted on the crash by the Hungarian authorities. The aircraft was allegedly shot down during final approach, probably due to its assumed involvement in theLebanese Civil War.^[55]

Korean Air Lines Flight 902 was a scheduled flight fromParis,France bound forSeoul,South Korea with a stopover atAnchorage,Alaska operated by a civilianBoeing 707 airliner (registered HL7429) that was shot down bySoviet Air ForceSukhoi Su-15 fighters on 20 April 1978 nearMurmansk,Soviet Union after it violated Soviet airspace and failed to respond to Soviet interceptors. Two passengers died in the incident. 107 passengers and crew survived after the plane made an emergency landing on a frozen lake.^[56]

Air Rhodesia Flight 825 was a scheduled flight betweenKariba and Salisbury,Rhodesia (nowHarare, Zimbabwe), that was shot down on 3 September 1978, byZimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) guerrillas using a Soviet-manufacturedStrela 2 missile. Eighteen of the 56 passengers of theVickers Viscount survived the crash, but 10 of the survivors were killed by the guerrillas at the crash site.

Air Rhodesia Flight 827 was a scheduled flight between Kariba and Salisbury that was shot down on 12 February 1979, by ZIPRA guerrillas using a Soviet-manufactured Strela 2 missile in similar circumstances to Flight RH825 five months earlier. None of the 59 passengers or crew of the Vickers Viscount survived.^[57]

On 27 June 1980 aMcDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 operated byItavia broke up mid-air and crashed into theTyrrhenian Sea near the island ofUstica, while en route fromBologna toPalermo, Italy. All 81 people on board were killed. The cause has been the subject of a decades-long controversy and numerousconspiracy theories. One theory is that the DC-9 was accidentally shot down during a clandestine air battle possibly involving American, French, Italian and Libyan military aircraft. Others state that the plane was bombed by terrorists, or that it was deliberately shot down by French or Israeli forces who mistook it for a different aircraft. In January 2013, Italy's highest court ruled there was clear evidence that the flight was shot down by a missile, but the court did not identify the perpetrators nor detail the circumstances; the ambiguous ruling together with the deaths of key figures surrounding the event have further fueled the controversy.^[58]

On 8 June 1980Linhas Aéreas de Angola airliner (registered D2-TYC), aYakovlev Yak-40, was shot down nearMatala,Angola with the loss of all on board (4 crew and 15 passengers).ICAO reported that a "sudden situation took place in response to actions by a foreign aircraft and accidentally the Yak-40 was hit and crashed".^[59] Unconfirmed reports mention the possible involvement of aZambianShenyang J-6 fighter.^[60][61]

On 23 September 1980 anIlyushin Il-76 operated byIraqi Airways, and registered as YI-AIO, was shot down nearBaghdad by Iraqi fighter jets. The aircraft was operating a cargo flight fromCharles de Gaulle Airport toBaghdad International Airport. All four people on board were killed.^[62][63]

Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was aKorean Air LinesBoeing 747 civilian airliner shot down by aSoviet Air ForceSukhoi Su-15TM interceptor on 1 September 1983, nearMoneron Island just west ofSakhalin Island, after it strayed into Soviet airspace. 269 passengers and crew, including US congressmanLarry McDonald, were aboard KAL 007; there were no survivors. Anofficial investigation concluded that the course deviation was likely caused by pilot error in configuring theair navigation system.^[64]

On 24 February 1985, thePolar 3, aDornier 228 research airplane of theAlfred Wegener Institute inBremerhaven,West Germany, was shot down by guerrillas of thePolisario Front overWest Sahara. All three crew members died.Polar 3 was on its way back fromAntarctica and had taken off inDakar,Senegal, to reachArrecife,Canary Islands.^[65]

On 4 September 1985 (during theSoviet–Afghan War), aBakhtar Afghan AirlinesAntonov An-26 (registered YA-BAM)was shot down by CIA-backed Afghan militants with asurface-to-air missile nearKandahar,Afghanistan. The aircraft was carrying 47 passengers and 5 crew members and had been on a scheduled flight from Kandahar toFarah. There were no survivors.^[66]

On November 25, 1985, inAngola during theAngolan Civil War, anAeroflotAntonov An-12 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile, while operating a cargo flight fromCuito Cuanavale toLuanda, allegedly by South African Special Forces; all 21 people on board were killed.^[67]

On 11 June 1987, a Bakhtar Afghan Airlines Antonov An-26 (registered YA-BAL) was shot down by CIA-backed Afghan militants with a missile nearKhost, killing 53 out of the 55 people on board. The aircraft had been on a flight from Kandahar toKabul.^[68]

On 14 October 1987, aLockheed L-100 Hercules (registered HB-ILF), owned by the Swiss companyZimex Aviation and operated on behalf of theInternational Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was shot down about four minutes after departingCuito airport,Angola. It was hit by an unknown projectile fired by unknown combatants during theAngolan Civil War. Four crew members and two passengers died. On the ground, two persons died and one was severely injured.^[69][70]

On 6 November 1987, anAir MalawiShorts Skyvan (registered 7Q-YMB) was shot down while on a domestic flight fromBlantyre, Malawi toLilongwe. The flight plan took it overMozambique where theMozambican Civil War was in progress. The aircraft was shot down near the Mozambican town ofUlongwe. The eight passengers and two crew on board died.^[71]

Iran Air Flight 655 was a commercial flight operated byIran Air that regularly flew fromBandar Abbas,Iran toDubai,UAE. On 3 July 1988 the aircraft was shot down by theU.S. Navyguided missile cruiserUSSVincennes which fired aRIM-66 Standard surface-to-air missile. The airplane was destroyed between Bandar Abbas and Dubai; all 290 passengers and crew died, including 66 children. USSVincennes was in Iranian waters at the time of the attack. IR655, anAirbus A300 on an ascending flight path, was allegedly mistaken byVincennes as a descending IranianGrumman F-14 Tomcat.^[72]

On 19 November 1988, anAntonov An-26 operated byAriana Afghan Airlines was flying fromKabul,Afghanistan toJalalabad, Afghanistan when the pilot became lost due to a technical issue.^[73] The aircraft entered Pakistani airspace when the pilot asked for help from a nearby airport inPakistan. It was subsequently shot down by ground fire from thePakistan Air Force nearParachinar,Pakistan resulting in 30 deaths.^[73]Ministry of Defence of Pakistan claimed that the aircraft was shot down by ground fire when it entered Pakistani territory and failed to identify itself.^[73]

On 8 December 1988 aDouglas DC-7 chartered by theUS Agency for International Development was shot down overWestern Sahara by thePolisario Front, resulting in five deaths. Leaders of the movement said the plane was mistaken for a MoroccanLockheed C-130. The aircraft was bound forMorocco for a locust control mission. A second aircraft was also hit, but managed to land at Sidi Ifni, Morocco.^[74]

AYak-40 plane traveling fromStepanakert airport toYerevan on 27 March 1992, with a total of 34 passengers and crew, was attacked by anAzerbaijani Air ForceSukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft. With an engine failure and a fire in rear of the plane, it eventually made a safe landing onArmenian territory.^[75][76][77]

In September 1993, two airliners belonging toTransair Georgia and a third belong to Orbi Georgia were shot down by missiles and gunfire inSukhumi,Abkhazia,Georgia. The first, aTupolev Tu-134, was shot down on 21 September 1993 by a missile during landing approach. The second plane, aTupolev Tu-154, was shot down a day later also during approach. A third one was shelled and destroyed on the ground, while passengers were boarding.^[78][79][80]

TheDassault Falcon 50 airplane carryingRwandan presidentJuvénal Habyarimana andBurundian presidentCyprien Ntaryamira was shot down by surface-to-air-missiles as it prepared to land inKigali, Rwanda, on 6 April 1994. Both presidents died. Thisdouble assassination was the catalyst for theRwandan genocide and theFirst Congo War. Responsibility for the attack is disputed, with most theories proposing as suspects either the rebelRwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) or government-alignedHutu Power extremists opposed to negotiation with the RPF.

Lionair Flight 602, anAntonov An-24, crashed into the sea off the north-western coast ofSri Lanka on 29 September 1998. The aircraft departed Jaffna-Palaly Air Force Base on a flight toColombo and disappeared from radar screens just after the pilot had reported depressurization. Initial reports indicated that the plane had been shot down byLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels with a missile. All 7 crew and 48 passengers died.^[81]

The 1998 Lignes Aériennes Congolaises crash occurred on October 10, 1998, when, shortly after take-off, aLignes Aériennes CongolaisesBoeing 727-30 flying fromKindu Airport toN'djili Airport,DR Congo was struck by asurface-to-air missile launched by rebel forces during theSecond Congo War. The captain attempted an emergency landing, but the 727 crashed into a dense jungle nearKindu killing all 41 people on board.^[82]

ALearjet 35A registered as N350JF was operating a ferry flight with two flight crew fromNaples, Italy toLanseria, South Africa on 29 August 1999. It was flying fromLuxor, Egypt toNairobi, Kenya following a flight path that flew overEthiopia. While flying overEritrean airspace, flight crew did not follow theflight plan they filed before departure and continued flying on a closedairway. The airway, UG650, as well as the surrounding airspace was closed due to the ongoingEritrean–Ethiopian War. Air traffic control inAsmara attempt to warn the crew of the safety risks associated with entering closed airspace without a clearance, but they did not change their path. After entering Ethiopian airspace, theEthiopian Ground Forces shot a missile at the aircraft suspecting it to be an Eritrean aircraft attempting a bombing raid. The aircraft subsequently crashed nearAdwa killing both crew members.^[83][84]

On 20 April 2001, aCessna A185E floatplane (registered OB-1408) was shot down by a PeruvianCessna A-37B Dragonfly attack aircraft over the borderMariscal Ramón Castilla Province ofPeru. Two out of four passengers on board were killed, American Christian missionary Roni Bowers and her infant daughter Charity, while the pilot Kevin Donaldson was severely wounded. The incident took place during theAir Bridge Denial Program, where the floatplane was spotted by aCIA surveillance aircraft, who requested that thePeruvian Air Force follow the floatplane and force it to land atIquitos to be searched for illegal drugs. After failing to contact the floatplane due to the message being sent on the wrong frequency, the CIA observers advised against a shootdown due to the floatplane not matching the expected behavior seen indrug trafficking aircraft, only for the Peruvian Dragonfly to open fire, downing the floatplane.A year later, theUS government paid compensation of $8 million to the Bowers family and the pilot.^[85]

On 4 October 2001,Siberian Airlines Flight 1812, aTupolev Tu-154, crashed over theBlack Sea en route fromTel Aviv, Israel toNovosibirsk, Russia. Although the immediate suspicion was of a terrorist attack, American sources proved that the plane was hit by aS-200 surface-to-air missile, fired from theCrimean Peninsula during a joint Ukrainian-Russian military exercise, and this was confirmed by the Moscow-basedInterstate Aviation Committee. All on board (66 passengers and 12 crew) died. ThePresident of UkraineLeonid Kuchma and several high commanders of the military expressed their condolences to the relatives of the victims. The Ukrainian Government paid out $200,000 in compensation to the families of every passenger and crew who died when the plane crashed; a total of $15 million in compensation for the accident.^[86]

On 22 November 2003, a DHLAirbus A300-200F cargo aircraft (registered OO-DLL) was struck on the left wing by a surface-to-air missile shortly after takeoff from Baghdad bound forMuharraq,Bahrain. The aircraft lost all hydraulic controls and the crew had to use engine thrust to maneuver. The pilots managed to return toBaghdad International Airport but lost directional control on landing, resulting in arunway excursion. All 3 people on board survived. The A300 did not fly again after the incident and was scrapped.^{[citation needed]}

On 9 January 2007, anAntonov An-26 crashed while attempting a landing atBalad Air Base inIraq.^[87] Officials claim the crash was caused by poor weather conditions, but other sources claim that this is a cover-up and the plane was actually shot down by amissile.^[88][89]

On 23 March 2007, aTransAVIAexport AirlinesIlyushin Il-76 airplane crashed in the outskirts ofMogadishu,Somalia, during the2007 Battle of Mogadishu. Witnesses, including aShabelle reporter, claimed they saw the plane being shot down, andBelarus initiated an anti-terrorist investigation, but Somalia insisted the crash was accidental.^[90] All 11 Belarusian civilians on board died.^[91]

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was a regularly scheduled flight fromAmsterdam Schiphol Airport,Netherlands toKuala Lumpur International Airport,Malaysia. On 17 July 2014, theBoeing 777-200ER (registered 9M-MRD) operating the flight was hit by a Soviet-madeBuk surface-to-air missile fired bypro-Russian Donetsk separatists. All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed, including 80 children. TheJoint Investigation Team stated the missile was operated byRussian-backed rebels nearDonetsk,Ukraine during theBattle in Shakhtarsk Raion.^[92] Russian PresidentVladimir Putin denied accusations of Russian involvement.^[93] At the time, the shootdown was Ukraine's deadliest aviation disaster and thedeadliest aviation disaster involving the Boeing 777.^[94]

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was a scheduled international passenger flight fromTehran toKyiv operated by Ukraine International Airlines. On 8 January 2020, theBoeing 737-800 (registered UR-PSR) operating the route was shot down by the IranianIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shortly after takeoff fromTehran Imam Khomeini International Airport, killing all 176 people on board.^[95][96][97] After initially denying responsibility, Iran admitted on 11 January 2020 that, in the hours followingthe IRGC's launch of missiles against air bases used by the U.S., the plane was unintentionally targeted when the IRGC mistook it for acruise missile launched by the U.S. in retaliation.^[98]

On 4 May 2020, anAfrican Express AirwaysEmbraer EMB 120 Brasilia on anair charter flight carryingpandemic relief suppliescrashed on approach to an airstrip inBerdale,Somalia, after being fired upon byEthiopian Ground Forces. All six people on board were killed. The incident is under investigation by the Somali government.^[99][100]

On 21 October 2024, aIlyushin Il-76T operated by theSudanese Armed Forces was shot down by theRapid Support Forces, while flying over the region ofDarfur,Sudan. All five crew members on board were killed, including two Russian nationals and three Sudanese.^[101]

On 25 December 2024, anAzerbaijan AirlinesEmbraer 190 (registered 4K-AZ65) crashed while attempting anemergency landing atAktau International Airport, Kazakhstan. Azerbaijani officials toldReuters that preliminary results indicate the plane was struck by a RussianPantsir-S air defence system.^[102]Associated Press subsequently reported that aviation experts believe it was likely shot at and struck by Russian air defences near its destinationGrozny.^[103] The airliner was denied an emergency landing in Russia, and instead guided over theCaspian Sea.^[104]ADS-B data obtained byFlightradar24 showed the crippled aircraft experienced variable altitude of ±8,000 feet for at least 75 minutes, with photos from the crash site showing puncture damage to the vertical and horizontal stabilizers.^[105] Out of the 67 passengers and crew onboard, 38 died, including both pilots.^[106]

On 3 May 2025, a cargoBoeing 737-290C Advanced operated by IBM Airlines wasdestroyed atNyala Airport by theSudanese Armed Forces (SAF) during theSudanese civil war. It was destroyed due to suspicions of carrying military weapons and supplies to theRapid Support Forces (RSF). All 20 occupants on board the aircraft were killed.^[107][108] Sources disagree on if it was a bombing or a shootdown.^[109][110]

On October 23, 2025, aBoeing 727-200 crashed while landing inNyala, the plane veered off the side of the runway and caught fire, reportedly killing 19 people including both pilots and 17 passengers. TheSudanese army claimed to have shot down the plane and stated that it was transporting weapons.^[111]

• Arkia Israel Airlines Flight 582, a November 2002 flight that was the subject of an attempted shootdown with the missile missing the target
• Flight Guard, an antimissile defense mechanism for civilian aircraft
• List of aircraft hijackings

• Airliner shootdown incidents
• Lists of accidents and incidents involving airliners

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