- See also: list of deaths by aircraft misadventure
This is a list of some well-known people who died in aviation accidents and incidents. This list does not include victims of disasters who were not famous beyond their involvement in the accident, nor casualties of war.
The year after the names of persons is the year of the aviation-related death. Within each section, people are listed in alphabetical order by last name unless indicated.
This list is sectioned by occupation.
Aviation
- Elsa Andersson, 1922, first Swedish aviatrix
- Michael J. Adams, 1967, test pilot killed during X-15 mission
- Charles Bassett, 1966, American Astronaut killed in a routine airplane flight with Elliott See.
- Milo Burcham, 1944, Lockheed test pilot
- Richard Bong, 1945, US World War II fighter ace and test pilot.
- Jorge Chávez, 1910, Peruvian pilot
- Juan de la Cierva, inventor of the autogyro, on a fixed-wing plane
- Bessie Coleman, first African-American woman pilot
- Arthur Coningham RAF Air Marshal who disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle
- Scott Crossfield, 2006, test pilot
- Graydon Evans, 1943, test pilot for Consolidated Aircraft Corporation
- Harold Geiger, US Army Major, aviation pioneer, namesake of Geiger Field, now Spokane International Airport
- Steponas Darius and Stasys Girenas, Lithuanian-American pilots
- Geoffrey de Havilland Jr, test pilot and son of the de Havilland aircraft's founder
- B.H. DeLay, 1923, stunt pilot, airport owner, aviation school owner
- Jessica Dubroff, 1996, 7-year-old aspiring pilot
- Amelia Earhart, 1937, pioneer woman pilot
- Glen Edwards, test pilot, namesake of Edwards AFB
- Richard E. Ellsworth, 1953, US Air Force Brigadier General
- Eugene Ely, 1911, pioneer pilot in US naval aviation
- Jeff Ethell, 1997, aviation writer
- Yuri Gagarin, Russian cosmonaut and the first man to go into space
- Richard E. Gray, test pilot
- Mark Hanna, 1999, British display pilot
- Harry Hawker, 1921, Australian aviation pioneer and co-founder of Hawker Aircraft
- Manuel J. "Pete" Fernandez, 1980, Korean War ace pilot
- Amy Johnson, British pilot
- Iven Carl Kincheloe, Jr., Korean War ace pilot and test pilot
- Charles Kingsford Smith, 1935, Australian air pioneer who made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia in 1928.
- Raymonde de Laroche, 1919, first woman to earn a pilot's licence
- Jim LeRoy, 2007, Stunt Performer Bulldog Airshows
- Ormer Locklear, 1920, aerobatic and stunt performer, during filming of The Skywayman.
- Otto Lilienthal, 1896, German glider pioneer
- Paul Mantz, 1965, racing and stunt pilot, , during filming of The Flight of the Phoenix
- Joseph C. McConnell, 1954, Korean War ace pilot
- William A. Moffett, 1933, US Navy admiral, in crash of airship USS Akron
- Wiley Post, 1935, aviation pioneer
- Gary Powers, 1977, American spy-plane pilot
- Harriet Quimby, 1912, first licensed female pilot in the US
- Jack Ridley, 1957, test pilot
- Edvard Rusjan, 1911, first Slovene aviator, aircraft constructor
- Eddie August Schneider, transcontinental record holder
- Elliott See, 1966, American Astronaut killed in a routine airplane flight with Charles Bassett.
- Thomas Selfridge, 1908, first military pilot to die in related crash, namesake of Selfridge Field
- Art Scholl, 1986, aerobatic and stunt performer, during filming of Top Gun.
- Frank Tallman, 1978, stuntman
- Charles Taylor, 1945, lead instructor, Flight 19
- Charles Ulm, 1934, Australian air pioneer who made the first trans-Pacific flight from the United States to Australia in 1928.
- Joseph A. Walker, 1966 test pilot
- George Welch, 1954 American World War II Pearl Harbor and test pilot
- Steve Wittman, 1995, Aircraft designer and builder and air-race pilot
- Apollo 1, Space Shuttle Challenger, and Space Shuttle Columbia crews.
- See also: List of space disasters
Aerial demonstration teams
Business
- Tomáš Baťa, 1932, founder of Bata Shoes company
- John Bauer, 1998, CEO of Dynaweld.
- George Curtis Mathes Jr., 1983, Founder and Chairman of Curtis Mathes Corporation on Air Canada Flight 797
- Philip Don Estridge, 1985, IBM PC project manager, on Delta Air Lines Flight 191
- Carl August Baron von Gablenz, CEO of Lufthansa.
- Daniel Lewin, 2001, Founder and CTO of Akamai, on American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001.
- Alfred Lowenstein, 1928, Belgian entrepreneur and financier.
- Frank Pocher, 1997, CFO of ImmunoGen.
- Antonio Juarbe Poll, 1979, Puerto Rican businessman
- Wes Vance, 2003, COO of Diebold.
- Frank Wells, 1994, President and COO of The Walt Disney Company.
- John Whitney, 1998, Founder of Gaymar.
- Matthew Harding, 1996, Vice-Chairman of Chelsea Football Club.
- Jack O'Harra, 1996, Executive Producer of ABC Sports, in TWA Flight 800
- Charles Rolls ,1910, Co-Founder of Rolls-Royce Motors
- John T. Walton, 2005, son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton
- Ikuo Uragami, 1985, Chairman of House Food Japan, Japan Air Lines Flight 123.
- Edson Queiroz, 1982, Brazilian entrepreneur, in VASP Flight 168.
Entertainment
Individuals
(By first name)
- Aaliyah, 2001, actress, singer, model & dancer
- Anna Jantar, 1980, Polish singer
- Audie Murphy, 1971, actor and decorated US soldier
- B.H. DeLay, 1923, aviator actor
- Blanca Estela Pavón, 1949, Mexican film actress
- Berry Berenson, 2001, actress, photographer, and widow of actor Anthony Perkins; passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001.
- Bill Graham, 1991, rock concert promoter
- Bob Collins, 2000, WGN (AM) radio personality
- Bruce Geller, 1978, TV producer/creator, Mission: Impossible
- Buddy Clark, 1949, singer
- Carlos Gardel, 1935, Argentinian singer
- Carole Lombard, 1942, actress
- David Angell, 2001, TV producer, Cheers, Frasier ; passenger aboard American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001.
- Dean Paul Martin, 1987, actor, singer and son of Dean Martin
- Daniel Balavoine, 1986, French singer and songwriter. (on the same helicopter as Thierry Sabine)
- Eve Meyer, 1977 Actress, Playboy Centerfold June 1955; passenger aboard Pan Am Flight 1736 in the Tenerife disaster
- Fanny Cano, 1983, Mexican actress, during collision of Iberia and Aviaco jetliners, Barajas International Airport, Madrid
- Ginette Neveu, 1949, French classical violinist
- Glenn Miller, 1944, Big Band leader
- Grace Moore, 1947, opera singer (was on the same plane as Prince Gustav Adolf)
- Graeme "Shirley" Strachan, 2001, singer, Skyhooks
- Guido Cantelli, 1956, orchestral conductor
- Jacques Thibaud, 1953, French classical violinist
- Jayan, 1980, Malayalam film actor, accident whilst performing a film stunt.
- Jim Croce, 1973, singer
- Jim Reeves, 1964, country music singer
- John Denver, 1997, singer, songwriter, actor
- Jud Strunk, 1981, singer, songwriter, comedian
- June Thorburn, 1967, English actress
- Keith Green, 1982, contemporary Christian musician
- Kuniko Mukoda, 1981, Japanese writer, mainly television drama, on board Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 103
- Kyu Sakamoto, 1985, Japanese singer, on board Japan Airlines Flight 123
- Larry Shue, 1985, playwright
- Marcel Dadi, 1996, French musician on TWA Flight 800
- Martin Johnson, 1937 adventurer and film producer
- Melanie Thornton, 2001, singer, on board Crossair Flight 3597
- Mike Todd, 1958, film producer
- Otis Redding, 1967, singer
- Pablo Santos, 2006, Mexican actor
- Pedro Infante, 1957, Mexican singer and actor
- Peter Tomarken, 2006, former game show host, Press Your Luck
- Philippa Schuyler, 1967, American, musician
- Randy Rhoads, 1982, Rock and classical guitarist
- Renny Ottolina, 1978, Venezuelan TV producer and entertainer
- Ricky Nelson, 1985, actor and singer
- Soundarya, 2004, Actress
- Stan Rogers, 1983, Canadian singer, on board Air Canada Flight 797
- Stevie Ray Vaughan, 1990, guitarist and singer
- Vic Morrow, 1982, actor
- Will Rogers, 1935, actor, humorist, singer
- William Gardner Knight, 1998, actor
- William Kapell, 1953, American classical pianist
Collective
(by year)
- Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper (Jiles Perry [J.P.] Richardson, Jr.) and Buddy Holly, 1959 see The Day the Music Died
- Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, 1963 country music singers
- Lynyrd Skynyrd, American rock and roll band, 20 October 1977. Three musicians, including their vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines of The Honkettes died on a Convair Metropolitan crash.
- Mamonas Assassinas, 1996, Brazilian rock band
- Nathalie van het Ende and Maria Serrano Serrano of Passion Fruit and Melanie Thornton, (2001), on board Crossair Flight 3597
Politicians
(By first name)
- A. P. Hamann, 1977, City Manager of San Jose, California, during the Tenerife disaster
- Abdul Rahim Ghafoorzai, 1997, prime minister of the anti-Taliban government of northern Afghanistan
- Abdul Salam Arif, 1966, President of Iraq
- Ahmed Ould Bouceif, 1979, Prime Minister of Mauritania
- Alexander Lebed, 2002, Russian politician, governor of Krasnoyarsk
- Amaro da Costa, 1980, Portugal
- Arvid Lindman, 1936, Prime Minister of Sweden
- Barthélemy Boganda, 1959, President of the Central African Republic
- Lin Biao, 1971, politician and military commander, number two man under Mao Zedong in the People's Republic of China, while fleeing after a failed coup attempt.
- Boris Trajkovski, 2004, President of Macedonia
- Camilo Cienfuegos, October 28, 1959, Cuban revolutionary
- Bronson M. Cutting, 1935, US Senator from New Mexico
- Carlos Menem Jr., 1995, first son of former Argentine president Carlos Menem.
- Lord Thomson, 1930, British Secretary of State for Air, in the R101 disaster
- Cyprien Ntaryamira, 1994, President of Burundi
- Dag Hammarskjöld, 1961, Secretary-General of the United Nations
- de Lesseps Story Morrison, 1964, former Mayor of New Orleans
- Donald Nutter, 1962, Governor of Montana
- Džemal Bijedić, 1977, Premier of Yugoslavia
- Earl Snell, 1947, Governor of Oregon
- Edward Moss, 1964, aide of senator Ted Kennedy, who was also injured during accident
- Ernest Lundeen, 1940, US Senator from Minnesota
- Francisco Sá Carneiro, 1980, Prime Minister of Portugal
- Ganti Mohana Chandra Balayogi, 2002, 12th & 13th Speaker of the Lok Sabha, India
- George S. Mickelson, 1993, Governor of South Dakota
- George W. Collins, 1972
- Guadalupe Larriva, 2007, Defence minster of Ecuador.
- Hale Boggs, 1972, US Congressman from Louisiana
- Igor Farkhutdinov, 2003, Russian politician, governor of Sakhalin
- Jaime Roldós Aguilera, 1981, President of Ecuador
- James Waltermire, 1988, Secretary of State of Montana
- Jerry Litton, 1976
- Jerry Pettis, 1975, Representative from California
- Joel Rakotomalala, 1976, Prime Minister of Madagascar
- John Garang, 2005, Vice President of Sudan
- John Heinz, 1991, US Senator from Pennsylvania
- John Kristensen Brostuen, 1938, member of the North Dakota Senate
- John Purroy Mitchell, 1918, former Mayor of New York City. First politician to die in an aviation-related accident.
- John Tower, 1991, former US Senator from Texas
- Juvénal Habyarimana, 1994, President of Rwanda
- Larry McDonald, 1983, U.S. Congressman, aboard Korean Air Flight KAL-007
- Madhavrao Scindia, 2001, Indian politician
- Maurice Connolly, 1921, former US Congressman from Iowa.
- Mel Carnahan, 2000, Governor of Missouri
- Mickey Leland, 1989
- Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, 1988, President of Pakistan
- Nick Begich, 1972, US Congressman from Alaska
- Omar Torrijos, 1981, Leader of the Panamanian Revolution (President)
- Paul Wellstone, 2002, US Senator from Minnesota
- Ramón Magsaysay, 1957, president of the Philippines
- Quirico Abeto, 1960, former Secretary of Justice of the Philippines
- René Barrientos, 1969, President of Bolivia
- Ron Brown, 1996, US Secretary of Commerce with over 30 others in Croatia
- Samora Machel, 1986, President of Mozambique
- Sanjay Gandhi, 1980, son of Indira Gandhi
- Subhash Chandra Bose, 1945, leader of the Indian Congress
- Thaddeus C. Sweet, 1928, US Congressman from New York.
- William D. Byron, 1941, US Congressman from Maryland.
- William Kirk Kaynor, 1929, US Congressman from Massachusetts.
- Władysław Sikorski, 1943, Prime Minister of Poland
Royalty
- Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe, 1936
- Georg Donatus, Hereditary Grand Duke of Hesse, 1937
- Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark, 1937
- Prince George, Duke of Kent, 1942
- Prince Christoph of Hesse-Cassel, 1943
- Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, 1947 (was on the same plane as Grace Moore)
- Prince Ali Reza Pahlavi I, 1954
- Prince William of Gloucester, 1972
- Mohammadu Maccido, Sultan of Sokoto , 2006
Sports
(Categorized, by first name)
Individuals
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