When did the world's first fatal commercial passenger jet crash occur?

On March 3, 1953, a Canadian Pacific DH-106 Comet crashed on takeoff from Karachi, Pakistan killing all 11 people on board. It was the world's first fatal commercial passenger jet crash. The accident was caused by the fact that the nose of the aircraft was lifted too high during the takeoff run, resulting in a partially stalled condition and excessive drag. The pilot tried to save the aircraft and took necessary corrective actions, but, unfortunately, it was too late.

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134 Comments

Ellen Gwaltney Bales

Pretty easy guess, given those dates!

dickahern

The alternative dates were nonsence

Dana E. Gassaway

I get dismayed when I read some of the answers/replies made, and I wonder what level of knowledge those who recorded 1888 have!

Ray Metoyer

Duh... unless commercial planes really were flying in 1506... nearly 400 years before the Wright Brothers first flight in 1903! LOL

Gerald Mason

dates maybe should have been from the 1940's and 50's not 1506 come on

Glen Beltz

Far too easy given those choices. Three weren't even in the twentieth century!

Martin Dell

people got this wrong. really?? how stupid are they?

Yvette Klein

There were other commercial air crashes before 1953, but I guess anything before 1903 is useless. 1936 American Airlines Douglas DC-2 crashed fun Arkansas and killed all 17 passengers and crew, is just one of the ones prior to 1953. Bad question and bad choices.

Coral

I know Prince Philips older sister and unborn child and other members of the Greek Royal family died in the mid thirties whilst he was at Gourdstonen school in Scotland. They were on their way to a wedding in England. But this was not a commercial flight.

Chris Brown

Choices: 1500-1800?! I didn't know that the power of mechanical flight was available then. Haha!

Rebecca Woods

This was a throw away question. Considering there was no air flight on any of the other dates listed.

John Bayly

Peter Thomas, On March 3, 1953, a Canadian Pacific DH-106 Comet crashed on takeoff from Karachi , Pakistan killing all 11 people on board. It was the world's first fatal commercial passenger jet crash. That's from Google.

Cujo

Are we not counting experimental Boeing 747 which crashed in early trials on April 23, 1295 B. C.?

Albert

December 14, 1920 - Believed to be one of the first known commercial passenger airplane crashes, a British Handley Page HP-16 en route to Paris from London crashes just after takeoff, killing four of the eight people onboard. I guess.