Came apart in the air

Aircraft that lost a part of their structure in flight - a wing, a tail surface, a door, a panel, or the airframe itself. Fatigue, corrosion, poor repairs and flight beyond the aircraft's limits all appear among the causes.

More collections

• Bird strikes From a gull through a windscreen to geese in both engines of an airliner.
• Airliner turbulence Why the seatbelt sign matters: airliner turbulence, windshear and storm encounters.
• Off the end: airline overruns and undershoots Airliners that ran off the end of the runway, or touched down before reaching it.
• Helicopter wire strikes Helicopters work low, near power lines, and often in the places the lines run.