Crime & Safety

SFO Plane Crash is 14th in Bay Area History

The most recent commercial crash before July 6, 2013 was in 2000 when an Alaska flight headed for SFO crashed in the ocean.

The crash landing that has killed at least two people and injured 61 more is the largest in the history of San Francisco International Airport. 

Since the beginning of aviation, there have been 14 commercial airplane crashes involving Bay Area airports. See the full list below. 

  • 1938: A TWA flight from San Francisco to Winslow, Ariz. disappeared and was found three months later in Yosemite National Park with all nine passengers dead.
  • 1943: A Pan Am flight crashed headed for San Francisco crashed into a mountain in Boonville, killing 19 people.
  • 1951: A United flight crashed in Union City during its approach approach to Oakland. All 44 passengers and six crew members died.
  • 1953: A BCPA flight from Honolulu to San Francisco crashed into King's Mountain near Half Moon Bay in its descent, killing 11 people including famed pianist William Kapell.
  • 1956: A Pan Am flight was forced to ditch into the Pacific between Hawaii and SFO. All 31 people were rescued by a United States Coast Guard ship.
  • 1957: A Pan Am flight disappeared between San Francisco and Honolulu. Wreckage and human remains were found in the following weeks. All passengers were presumed dead and carbon monoxide poisoning was suspected to be the cause of the crash.
  • 1964: A Pacific Air Lines flight from Reno to San Francisco, with a stop in Stockton, crashed in San Ramon when a passenger shot the captain and first officer, then himself. All 44 people aboard died.
  • 1964: A Flying Tiger Line flight crashed near San Bruno after a mysterious course deviation. The three people on the plane died.
  • 1968: A Japan Airlines flight crashed in the San Francisco Bay due to pilot error. Everyone aboard survived.
  • 1971: A Pan Am flight took off from SFO at the wrong speed, overrunning the runway and colliding with a lighting structure. There was damage to the plane, but it was still able to become airborne. The plane circled the bay, dumping fuel, then safely landed again. There were 29 people injured, 10 seriously.
  • 1985: A China Airlines flight suffered an engine flameout off the California coast. The plane took a 30,000-foot dive and before the pilot regained control and landed safely at SFO.
  • 1987: A Pacific Southwest Airlines flight from LAX to SFO crashed near Cayucos when a disgruntled airline employee hijacked the plane. All 44 people on the plane died.
  • 2000: An Alaska Airlines flight from Mexico to Seattle, with a layover in San Francisco, crashed in the ocean near Point Mogu, California after the plane had trouble staying steady in the air. All five crew members and 83 passengers died.
  • 2013: An Asiana Airlines flight from Incheon, Korea crash landed on the runway. Two people have been confirmed dead with 61 injured.
In addition to the Bay Area commercial plane crashes, there have been over a dozen involving flights either landing at or taking off from Los Angeles-area airports.

Stay tuned to Patch for continued coverage of Saturday's tragedy at SFO.


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