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Quiz about The Worlds Deadliest
Quiz about The Worlds Deadliest

The World's Deadliest Trivia Quiz


Modern-day commercial aviation is incredibly safe, thanks to the lessons learned from numerous deadly crashes over the years. This quiz covers the ten worst (in terms of fatalities) as of 2021.

A multiple-choice quiz by Crackshot1994. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
381,214
Updated
Jul 31 24
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
429
Last 3 plays: Guest 167 (2/10), Guest 67 (5/10), Guest 50 (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. 1977. It remains the deadliest plane crash of all time. Two fully-loaded Boeing 747s, one belonging to the legendary Pan American World Airways and the other to long-lasting KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, collided on the runway at Los Rodeos, Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands. What notable event led to both aircraft being on the ground at Tenerife, a small airport that wasn't their destination? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. 1985. Japan Airlines Flight 123 crashes in the hills of Japan after faulty maintenance repairs led to explosive decompression that damaged the flight controls and crippled the jet. At the time it was the worst single-aircraft accident in history. How many people survived this tragedy? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. 1996. Two aircraft collide over the skies of Delhi, India. Which airlines were involved? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Until Tenerife, the 1974 crash of a Turkish Airlines DC-10 outside of Paris was the worst aviation disaster in history, with 346 dead. What caused the crash of THY981? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. 1985. At the time it was the worst airliner bombing in history, and worst act of aviation terrorism prior to 9/11. Which terrorist group bombed an airliner belonging to which airline? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. 1980. A Saudia L-1011, with 301 people on-board, makes a successful emergency landing in Riyadh after a fire breaks out. However, the decision by the flight crew to taxi off the runway and park instead of ordering an immediate evacuation, for reasons unknown, dooms all on board. Which bizarre problem may have contributed to the disaster? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. 2014. This airline is already having a bad year, with one 777 lost in mysterious (and to this day unsolved) circumstances. However, it got worse when 298 passengers were killed by a surface-to-air missile over the Ukraine. What country does this unlucky carrier operate from? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. 1988. 290 died after a surface-to-air missile struck an Iran Air Airbus A300. Which country launched the errant missile? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. 2003. 275 are killed when this aircraft flies into the ground during bad weather. What makes this disaster stand out compared to the rest on this list? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Although not the worst disaster involving an American airline, it holds (and hopefully will forever hold) the record as the worst disaster on US soil. Which major airport saw this aircraft crash only moments after take-off? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. 1977. It remains the deadliest plane crash of all time. Two fully-loaded Boeing 747s, one belonging to the legendary Pan American World Airways and the other to long-lasting KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, collided on the runway at Los Rodeos, Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands. What notable event led to both aircraft being on the ground at Tenerife, a small airport that wasn't their destination?

Answer: A terrorist attack at their destination airport.

On the morning of that day, a bomb planted by pro-independence Canary Island separatists detonated at the Las Palmas Airport, wounding several. Threats of further attacks led to all inbound flights, including Pan Am 1736 and KLM 4805, to divert to Los Rodeos Airport on the island of Tenerife. Scarcely equipped to handle the volume of traffic, a sequence of events involving refuelling delays, worsening weather, pressure on the KLM Captain to avoid violating his maximum duty hours and poor ATC communications led to the KLM aircraft taking off without permission and striking the still taxiing Pan Am. 583 people were killed with only 61 survivors, all of whom were onboard the Pan Am 747.
2. 1985. Japan Airlines Flight 123 crashes in the hills of Japan after faulty maintenance repairs led to explosive decompression that damaged the flight controls and crippled the jet. At the time it was the worst single-aircraft accident in history. How many people survived this tragedy?

Answer: 4

Of the 524 passengers and crew, only 4 survived the ordeal. It is believed that more passengers survived the impact, but the rescue operation was botched and it is probable that badly wounded survivors died during the night.
3. 1996. Two aircraft collide over the skies of Delhi, India. Which airlines were involved?

Answer: Saudi Arabian Airlines and Kazakhstan Airlines

Known as the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, it is the worst mid-air collision (Tenerife happened on the ground) in history, and the worst crash in Indian aviation history. Saudia 763, a Boeing 747 bound for Dhahran with 312 on board, and Kazakhstan 1907, an IL-76 en-route to Delhi, with 37 on board, for a total 349 dead.

The primary cause of the crash was the failure of the IL-76 crew to follow instructions, due to poor English, with the secondary cause being insufficient radar coverage of the airspace.
4. Until Tenerife, the 1974 crash of a Turkish Airlines DC-10 outside of Paris was the worst aviation disaster in history, with 346 dead. What caused the crash of THY981?

Answer: A flaw in the design of the DC-10

It was discovered that the DC-10's cargo door had a flaw that made it possible for it to be closed without being properly secured. As a result, the door blew during the climb out of Paris, and the resulting damage destroyed the flight controls. Flight 981 crashed into the Ermenonville forest at 800 kms/hr.

A sad note to the disaster is that it was entirely preventable. Two years earlier, an American Airlines DC-10 made an emergency landing at Detroit after a cargo door blew, damaging the flight controls. All 67 on board survived. Although recommendations were made to prevent a repeat, they were ignored until the Paris crash. It took 346 deaths to fix a problem that should have been solved without loss of life. As a result lasting damage was done to the reputation of McDonnell Douglas and the US Federal Aviation Administration.
5. 1985. At the time it was the worst airliner bombing in history, and worst act of aviation terrorism prior to 9/11. Which terrorist group bombed an airliner belonging to which airline?

Answer: Sikh terrorists and Air India

Air India Flight 182, a Boeing 747 with 329 people on board, is destroyed in mid-air off the Irish coast en-route from Montreal to London. The bombing is traced to a Sikh extremist group, in retaliation to an Indian Army offensive against a Sikh temple at Amritsar. Only one man was convicted in regards to the attack, and he has since been paroled.
6. 1980. A Saudia L-1011, with 301 people on-board, makes a successful emergency landing in Riyadh after a fire breaks out. However, the decision by the flight crew to taxi off the runway and park instead of ordering an immediate evacuation, for reasons unknown, dooms all on board. Which bizarre problem may have contributed to the disaster?

Answer: The Flight Engineer was dyslexic

The resulting investigation shed light on poor decisions and communication in regards to the flight crew. Most bizarre of all was the possibility that the Flight Engineer, American Bradley Curtis, may have been dyslexic. This would have made it difficult for him to carry out the required emergency procedures and checklists.
7. 2014. This airline is already having a bad year, with one 777 lost in mysterious (and to this day unsolved) circumstances. However, it got worse when 298 passengers were killed by a surface-to-air missile over the Ukraine. What country does this unlucky carrier operate from?

Answer: Malaysia

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over Ukraine, almost certainly a Russian system fired by pro-Russian separatists. This tragic disaster took place only a few months after Flight 370, a Boeing 777 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, disappears with 237 on board.

Side note: All the other countries had notable plane crashes in 2014. Algeria lost an MD-83 with 116 killed, Indonesia an A320 with 162 killed, and Taiwan an ATR-72 with 48 killed.
8. 1988. 290 died after a surface-to-air missile struck an Iran Air Airbus A300. Which country launched the errant missile?

Answer: United States

Iran Air Flight 655, en-route from Bander Abbas, Iran to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, was shot down by the US Navy cruiser USS Vincennes. Although the crash is generally accepted to be a mistake, rather than deliberate action, there remains controversy over how negligent the crew of the Vincennes was.

In a bitter irony, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down over Tehran by an Iranian AA battery in January 2020 in circumstances similar to the Iran Air shootdown. All 176 onboard were killed.
9. 2003. 275 are killed when this aircraft flies into the ground during bad weather. What makes this disaster stand out compared to the rest on this list?

Answer: It was a military transport carrying exclusively military personnel.

An Iranian Air Force IL-76 carrying members of Iran's famous Revolutionary Guard Corps crashes with all 275 souls lost. According to official sources it crashed as a result of pilot error in poor weather, although lack of detailed information has led to conspiracies about possible other causes such as mid-air collision or terrorism.
10. Although not the worst disaster involving an American airline, it holds (and hopefully will forever hold) the record as the worst disaster on US soil. Which major airport saw this aircraft crash only moments after take-off?

Answer: Chicago O'Hare

American Airlines Flight 191, a DC-10 carrying 269 passengers and crew, was on its take-off roll at Chicago O'Hare when the left engine separated. Not a big deal in and of itself, disaster was inevitable when damage to the wing led to a control imbalance, and the pilots inadvertently stalled the plane following the (normally) correct engine-out procedure due to incomplete information thanks to a power failure.

The cause of the engine separation was shoddy maintenance by American Airlines, however criticism was also levelled at Douglas for a lack of redundancy in the aircraft's systems.
Source: Author Crackshot1994

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
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