New Delhi : Major commercial aviation disasters of 2014:
1. Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 – March 8 – The aircraft, with 239 passengers and crew onboard, disappeared on its way to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. No trace of the aircraft has been found even after months of international aerial, ground and underwater searches.
2. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 – July 17 – The plane crashed in eastern Ukraine while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 aboard. Reports suggest that the aircraft was shot down by a Soviet-era missile.
3. TransAsia Airways flight 222 – July 23 – The aircraft crashed into buildings during approach to land in Taiwan’s Penghu Island amid stormy weather, killing 48 people and injuring 15. The reason for the crash is still being determined.
4. Air Algérie flight 5017 – July 24 – The aircraft was on its way from Burkina Faso’s capital city of Ouagadougou to Algiers when it crashed in Mali, killing all 116 aboard. It disappeared from the radar about 50 minutes after take-off. The reason for the crash is still being investigated.
5. AirAsia flight QZ8501 – December 28 – The aircraft was on its way from the Indonesian city of Surabaya and was to land at Singapore’s Changi Airport with 162 people aboard. Officials said the pilot sought an unusual route due to thunderstorms between Kalimantan and Belitung island, before the aircraft lost contact with the air traffic control. A multinational operation is currently underway to locate the aircraft.