List of airline flights that required gliding


Airplane gliding occurs when all the engines shut down, but the wings are still functional and can be used for a controlled descent. This is a very rare condition. The most common cause of engine shutdown is fuel exhaustion or fuel starvation, but there have been other cases in aviation history of engine failure, such as bird strikes, flying through volcano ash and forms of water damage.
Below is a list of commercial airline flights that were forced to glide at some point while in the air.
DateFlightAircraftLocationCauseResultTotal fatalitiesTotal passengers and crew
14 February 1953Miami Airline Douglas DC-3East of Selleck, WashingtonWhile on approach to Boeing Field, first the left engine failed and was feathered. A few minutes later, the right engine failed. Investigation showed that both engines suffered bearing failures caused by negligent maintenance.While gliding, the aircraft was unable to clear a mountain at MSL. It crashed into trees and broke up.725
30 April 1953Aeroflot Flight 35Ilyushin Il-12Kazan, RussiaDouble engine fireAt an altitude of 300 meters both engines caught fire. The crew tried feathering propellers and the captain decided to land the plane on the Volga River. One of the passengers drowned during the evacuation.123
24 February 1962Tarom Ilyushin 18VIlyushin Il-18Paphos, CyprusFuel filters icing En route at over the Mediterranean Sea while from the Cyprus' shore, engine no. 3 lost power, followed by engines no. 1 and 2. Then, at, offshore, engine no. 4 also lost power. Belly landing on the ground near Paphos, Cyprus after a glide.0100
21 August 19631963 Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-124 Neva river ditchingTupolev Tu-124Leningrad, RussiaFuel exhaustionNose landing gear failed to properly retract after takeoff. Crew was unable to lock the gear in its extended position. The aircraft circled to expend fuel to reduce weight and fire hazards in the event a forced landing was made. The aircraft ran out of fuel and the pilot successfully ditched the plane in the Neva River without injury to passengers or crew.052
30 May 1967East African Airlines 5Y-ADAVickers VC10Bombay, IndiaFuel starvation due to improper use of boost pumpsClimbing through 15,000 ft. on departure from Bombay, all four engines lost power because of failure to use the fuel boost pumps, the flight engineer was sick in the lavatory. The engineer was retrieved by the purser and restored power, arresting the descent toward the Indian Ocean0Unknown
2 May 1970ALM 980McDonnell Douglas DC-9Near Saint CroixFuel starvation after multiple missed approaches due to bad weatherThe flight originating from John F. Kennedy International Airport made 3 landing attempts at Princess Juliana International Airport but aborted due to bad weather. The captain diverted to St. Croix, short on fuel, and decided to ditch before reaching the island. Both engines flamed out shortly before ditching.2363
6 September 1971Paninternational Flight 112BAC One-ElevenHamburg, GermanyEngine failure due to inadvertent use of jet fuel in water-injection tanksAfter the take-off, both engines failed and the pilots decided to make an emergency landing on a highway – Bundesautobahn 7 – about 4.5 km from Hamburg Airport. During the landing the aircraft collided with a bridge, causing both wings to shear off; and caught fire.22121
17 July 1972Civil Aviation Ministry test flightTupolev Tu-134Moscow oblast, RussiaEngine shutdown due to electrical system faultFourth prototype of the Tu-134 commuter jet was tested nearby Moscow. Failure of the onboard accumulators caused fuel pumps to halt and both engines to shut down. Attempts to restart the engines did not succeed and the crew decided to glide to Iksha reservoir. There were no casualties during ditching. The plane also experienced just minor damages and was used on the ground for emergency trainings of the cabin crew until year 2000.0?
4 December 1974BOAC flight 910Vickers VC10 G-ASGLSouth China SeaFuel starvation due to fuel transfer errorOn a flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo, the flight engineer failed to switch tanks feeding the engines, resulting in failure of all four engines. The aircraft suffered from Dutch Roll - later the engineer returned and restarted the engines.0Unknown
4 April 1977Southern Airways Flight 242Douglas DC-9Georgia, USHail and water ingestionAfter entering a thunderstorm at 14,000 ft., both engines flamed out. Aircraft performed emergency landing on Georgia highway but struck gas station and exploded during rollout.72 85
2 December 19771977 Benghazi Libyan Arab Airlines Tu-154 crashTupolev Tu-154Near Benghazi, LibyaFuel exhaustionIntended destination airport was blanketed in fog and the aircraft could not successfully land, ran out of fuel while attempting to locate an alternate airport. A forced landing was made.59165
19 May 1978Aeroflot Flight 6709 Baku - LeningradTupolev Tu-154BMaksatikha, Kalinin Oblast, RussiaRan out of fuel due to the improper actions of the crewThe automatic fuel pumping system was improperly disabled causing power generators and all three engines to fail midair at an altitude of 9600 meters. Attempts to restart the engines and the auxiliary power unit did not succeed, so after 14 minutes of gliding the crew had to make an emergency landing in a potato field. This type of aircraft is capable of landing on unpaved surfaces but the landing gear, although extended, was not locked and collapsed. The aircraft hit the trees and was destroyed. 130 people survived the crash, including 27 who were injured. 4 passengers died.4134
28 December 1978United Airlines Flight 173Douglas DC-8Portland, OregonFuel exhaustionAircraft aborted first landing attempt due to possible landing gear failure. Pilot focused on the landing gear problem neglected crew warning of lack of fuel. Aircraft ran out of fuel and glided several miles before crashing within 10 miles of airport.10189
12 April 1979Aeroflot Flight 3582 Tashkent - KrasnoyarskTupolev Tu-154BChimkent, KazakhstanFailure of 3 engines due to flight engineer mistakeSoon after take-off from Tashkent at altitude of 2200 meters first engine failed, then the second and third. The aircraft glided to Chimkent airport, the crew managed to restart one engine at altitude of 900 meters and land safely at night.0164+crew
24 June 1982British Airways Flight 9Boeing 747-200Jakarta, IndonesiaVolcanic ash ingestion from Mount GalunggungEn route at FL 370 when all engines failed. After 10 minutes of gliding, 4 engines are restarted, but 1 fails again shortly thereafter. The flight landed safely in Jakarta.0263
5 May 1983Eastern Air Lines Flight 855Lockheed L-1011 TriStarAtlantic Ocean off the coast of FloridaCrew shut down an engine due to low oil pressure, then the remaining two engines failed due to loss of oil.After gliding for five minutes the shut-down engine was successfully restarted. Made emergency landing at Miami International Airport; the running engine could not generate enough thrust for the aircraft to taxi to the gate.0172
23 July 1983Air Canada Flight 143 Boeing 767-233Gimli, Manitoba, CanadaRan out of fuel as a result of refuelling calculation error due to recent conversion to metric and deficient maintenance policiesGlided to emergency landing, on a decommissioned runway that had been converted to a drag strip069
19 August 1983United Airlines Flight 310Boeing 767-222Over the Arapahoe National Forest west of Denver, ColoradoBoth engines flamed out due to fuel system contaminationCrew restarted engines at. Successfully landed in Denver.0205
24 May 1988TACA Flight 110Boeing 737-3T0New Orleans, Louisiana, USDual engine flameout due to water ingestionGlided to emergency off-airport landing on a levee. Aircraft undamaged in landing and subsequently flown out to New Orleans after engine replacement.045
8 January 1989British Midland Flight 092Boeing 737-4Y0M1 Motorway, KegworthBlade fracture in left engine causing heavy vibration and engine fire. Pilots shut down wrong engine.When the aircraft was diverted to East Midlands Airport, the vibration returned, forcing pilots to shut down the remaining engine. The aircraft crashed onto the M1 motorway, skidding up the motorway embankment, 689 yards from the runway threshold.47126
3 September 1989Varig Flight 254Boeing 737-200São José do Xingu, Amazon jungle, BrazilNavigation error, fuel exhaustionThe crew entered an incorrect heading into the flight computer, taking the plane over a remote area of the Amazon jungle. Attempts to reach an alternative airport were unsuccessful, and the plane ran out of fuel. The pilot made a belly landing in the jungle.1354
15 December 1989KLM Flight 867Boeing 747-406MRedoubt Volcano, Anchorage, AlaskaLost power in all four engines after flying through a cloud of volcanic ashEngines restarted, landed safely0245
25 January 1990Avianca Flight 52Boeing 707-321BCove Neck, New YorkWhile low on fuel, the plane was delayed numerous times on approach to JFK Airport due to bad weather.Ran out of fuel and crashed into a hillside on Long Island.73158
27 December 1991Scandinavian Airlines Flight 751McDonnell Douglas MD-81Gottröra, SwedenIce sucked into the engines causing dual engine failureCrash landed in an open field near Gottröra.0129
23 November 1996Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961Boeing 767Indian Ocean, off AfricaHijacking, fuel exhaustionAircraft was taken over by hijackers who demanded to be flown to Australia. Plane ran out of fuel and ditched in the ocean off Comoro Islands. Aircraft broke apart on impact.125175
12 January 2000Aeroflot aircraft transfer flight from Krasnodar to NovosibirskTupolev Tu-154MTolmachevo, Novosibirsk, RussiaFailure of all 3 engines during descent due to defective fuelAll three engines failed at altitudes of 700, 300 and 6 meters respectively, the crew, however, managed to land the aircraft safely.030
12 July 2000Hapag-Lloyd Flight 3378Airbus A310-304Vienna, AustriaRan out of fuel as a result of landing gear failing to retractGlided for about before crash landing short of the runway0150
24 August 2001Air Transat Flight 236Airbus A330-243Terceira Island, AzoresRan out of fuel from emergency airport as a result of a fuel leakEmergency landing. The aircraft glided for 20 minutes.0306
14 January 2002Sibir Flight 852Tupolev Tu-204Omsk, RussiaRan out of fuel due to the closure of the destination airport in Novosibirsk and strong headwinds en route to the reserve airport in OmskAirliner run out of fuel and the engines failed 15 km away from the airstrip in Omsk at altitude of about 2000 meters. The aircraft glided for four minutes, the crew managed to extend the gear and to land safely without employing the reverse thrust.0119
16 January 2002Garuda Indonesia Flight 421Boeing 737IndonesiaHail and water ingestionAfter entering a thunderstorm, both engines flamed out. Aircraft performed ditching on Bengawan Solo River, Indonesia. One flight attendant was killed but everyone else survived.160
14 October 2004Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701Bombardier CRJ-200Jefferson City, MissouriDual engine failure outside of flight envelopeDuring a repositioning flight, the pilots experimented with the performance limits of the aircraft. Both engines failed at high altitude and low speed, and could not be restarted. Attempted an emergency landing at Jefferson City Memorial Airport but crashed short of the runway. Both pilots were killed.22
6 August 2005Tuninter Flight 1153ATR 72-202Mediterranean SeaThe aircraft had been fitted with the incorrect model of Fuel Indicator, which led to the incorrect assumption by the flight crew that they had adequate fuel for the flight.The engines failed about halfway through the flight. The crew unsuccessfully attempted to restart the engines and attempted to ditch the aircraft at sea. The aircraft broke apart on impact.1639
14 August 2005Helios Airways Flight 522Boeing 737-31SGrammatiko, GreeceFlight crew incapacitation due to wrong setup of pressurization systemAfter takeoff from Larnaca, Cyprus, the flight crew continued ascent despite a cabin pressurization warning, and all on board, save for one flight attendant who attempted to control the aircraft, were eventually incapacitated by lack of oxygen. The auto pilot flew the aircraft to Athens, Greece and entered a holding pattern until both engines flamed out due to fuel exhaustion. Following this, the aircraft descended in a gliding spiral until it struck a hill in Grammatiko, killing all on board.121121
15 January 2009US Airways Flight 1549Airbus A320-214New York CityComplete dual engine failure due to bird strikes moments after takeoff from La Guardia Airport.Glided then successfully ditched in the Hudson River.0155
4 February 2015TransAsia Airways Flight 235ATR 72-600Keelung River, Taipei, TaiwanOne engine auto-feathered due to fault in control module, pilots shut down wrong engineCrashed into the Keelung River three minutes after take-off.4358
28 November 2016LaMia Flight 2933Avro RJ85Near Medellín, ColombiaFuel exhaustion.Took off with insufficient fuel reserves, crashed approximately short of its destination after a short holding delay.7177
15 August 2019Ural Airlines Flight 178Airbus A321Zhukovsky International Airport, Moscow, RussiaComplete dual engine failure due to bird strikes moments after takeoff from Zhukovsky International AirportGlided and successfully landed in a corn field0233