On 4 April 1977, Southern Airways Flight 242, a flight from Huntsville, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, flies through a severe thunderstorm and is hit by large hailstones. Both engines of the DC-9-31 fail, and the aircraft makes an emergency landing on a highway in New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia. However, it collides with a gas station and explodes, killing 62 people on board and eight on the ground. Two more die later of injuries sustained during the crash.

Rescuers have to look to the past to solve the riddle of Flight 611, a China Airlines 747 that disappeared 20 minutes after taking off.

On 6 August 2005, Tuninter Flight 1153 runs out of fuel and ditches into the Mediterranean Sea, killing 16 people. It ran out of fuel because a fuel gauge for a different type of aircraft had been installed, misleading the crew about how much fuel was on board.

On 16 August 1987, Northwest Airlines Flight 255 stalls as it lifts off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport and crashes just beyond the runway, killing 154 of the 155 people on board and two people on the ground. The investigation showed that the pilots failed to configure the aircraft's flaps and slats for takeoff.

On 10 March 1989, Air Ontario Flight 1363 crashes just after takeoff, killing 24 people. Three years later, on 22 March 1992, USAir Flight 405 also crashes just after takeoff in similar conditions to Flight 1363. The cause of the crashes was ice on the wings, which significantly reduced lift.

On 24 November 2001, Crossair Flight 3597 crashes into a hill during final approach to Zurich, killing 24 of the 33 passengers and crew members on board. The cause of the crash was the pilot descending the aircraft below the minimum safe altitude for the approach.

On 16 August 2005, West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 stalls while cruising and crashes in rural Venezuela during a severe thunderstorm. Investigations revealed there were no faults with the engines. Pilot error led to the stall which was misinterpreted by the crew members, who took no recovery action until it was too late.

On 31 October 2000, Singapore Airlines Flight 006 collides with construction equipment at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in Taipei while attempting to take off on the wrong runway in a typhoon. 83 of the 179 passengers and crew members perish. Investigators concluded that pilot error was the cause of the crash.