On 8 June 1983, Reeve Aleutian Airways Flight 8's number-four propeller separates, tearing a gash on the aircraft's underside, jamming the flight controls and causing a rapid decompression. The pilots manage to land the aircraft safely at Anchorage, Alaska. The propeller fell into the sea, and since it was never recovered, the cause of the accident has not been determined.

On 11 May 1996, 10 minutes after takeoff, ValuJet Flight 592 starts filling with smoke after a fire breaks out in the main cargo bay as it is flying over Miami. The aircraft crashes into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board. The cause of the fire was later determined to be an accidental triggering of a chemical oxygen generator illegally shipped as non-hazardous cargo.

On 31 October 2000, Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collides with construction equipment at Chiang Kai Shek airport in Taipei while attempting to take off on the wrong runway in a typhoon, killing 83 of the 179 people on board. Investigators concluded that the crash was caused by pilot error.

On 19 December 1997, while en route to Singapore, SilkAir Flight 185 crashes into the Musi River in Indonesia after abruptly diving from its cruise altitude, killing all 104 passengers and crew members on board. The cause of the crash was disputed: a US investigation concluded that it was an act of murder–suicide by the captain; however, the Indonesian investigators were undetermined.

On 23 August 2005, TANS Perú Flight 204 crashes into a muddy swamp while attempting to land at Pucallpa Airport, Peru, in a thunderstorm, killing 40 of the 98 people on board. The cause of the crash was the pilots not following visual flight rules while the aircraft was being pushed by a downdraft.

On 30 June 1956, United Airlines Flight 718 and Trans World Airlines Flight 2 collide in mid-air over the Grand Canyon in Arizona, killing all 128 people on both aircraft. At the time, it was the deadliest-ever aviation accident, and would lead to major changes in the regulation of flight operations over the United States.

Note: This accident was previously featured as a special in the episode "System Breakdown" (S08E01).

On 25 May 1979, the number-one engine on American Airlines Flight 191 detaches moments after taking off from Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The aircraft banks to the left and crashes into an open field, killing all 271 people on board and 2 people on the ground. One of the mounting points in the pylon attaching the engine to the wing had suffered damage caused by faulty maintenance procedures.

On 28 December 1978, the crew of United Airlines Flight 173 are preoccupied with a landing gear problem as the aircraft circles in a holding pattern in the vicinity of Portland, Oregon. It runs out of fuel and crashes in a sparsely populated area, killing 10 of the 189 people on board. The pilot failed to acknowledge the warnings of the remaining crew regarding the aircraft's fuel state, while the remaining crew failed to adequately communicate the situation.

On 7 September 2011, Yak-Service Flight 9633, carrying the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl professional ice hockey team, crashes shortly after takeoff at Yaroslavl, Russia, killing all but one of the 45 occupants. The investigation found that the pilots were not properly trained on the aircraft type and mishandled it during takeoff.

On 10 April 2010, a Polish Air Force VIP aircraft carrying the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński, his wife Maria Kaczyńska and other top officials, crashes in a wooded area while on final approach to Smolensk North Airport in heavy fog and low visibility. All 96 passengers and crew members on board are killed.

On 25 January 2010, shortly after takeoff from Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport during a thunderstorm, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 plunges into the Mediterranean Sea while on a flight to Addis Ababa, killing all 90 people on board.

On 21 February 2008, Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight 518 strays off course and flies into the side of a mountain shortly after takeoff, killing all 46 people on board. Investigators determined that the aircraft took off with inoperative navigation equipment due to the pilots' failure to do their pre-flight checklist.

On 1 June 2009, Air France Flight 447 stalls and crashes into the Atlantic Ocean while flying through a thunderstorm, killing all 228 people on board. The causes of the crash were incorrect airspeed readings due to ice blocking the aircraft's pitot tubes and inappropriate control inputs.