A plane crash makes travelers feel shaky about flying. 2025 was a difficult year for aviation, with more than 1,000 accidents and crashes in total. It’s been confusing for frequent flyers, both business and non-business, and unfortunately 2026 is starting with some highs and lows.
One accident occurred at Bangor International Airport in Maine on January 25 when a private plane carrying eight people crashed during takeoff. The accident occurred during a huge snow storm in the northeast of the country. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board immediately began investigating the accident.
Two months later, an Air Canada Express plane crashed into a rescue vehicle at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport on March 22. Two pilots died in the accident.
See below National Transportation Safety Board data on the number of aircraft accidents so far in 2026.
Maine Plane Crash: Police issued an update this morning after a small business plane carrying 8 people crashed at a Maine airport last night. Officials plan to hold a press conference at 10 a.m. https://t.co/9qmdfwwAop
— NBC10 Boston (@NBC10Boston) January 26, 2026
How many plane crashes will there be in 2025?
In 2025 alone, there were 1,416 aviation accidents in total; 267 of those were fatal, and 1,149 were non-fatal, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s Monthly Aviation Dashboard.
How many plane crashes have occurred so far in 2026?
There have been 227 aviation accidents so far this year, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s monthly aviation dashboard. According to NTSB data, there have been 40 fatal crashes and 187 non-fatal crashes so far.
Details of the January 2026 Bangor plane crash
On January 25, a private plane crashed while taking off from Bangor International Airport in Maine. There were eight people on board. The NTSB issued a statement acknowledging the case.
The National Transportation Safety Board said, according to CNN: “The preliminary information we have is that the plane crashed upon departure from Bangor International Airport and experienced a fire after the crash.”
According to audio from LiveATC.net obtained by CNN, controllers and pilots at the airport were heard discussing low visibility in the area amid the blizzard in the Northeast. Two minutes after a controller cleared the private plane’s pilot to take off in Pangu, a controller was heard shouting: “All traffic in the square has stopped! All traffic in the square has stopped!”
Shortly afterwards, one of the controllers said: “The plane is upside down. We have an airliner that is upside down.”
Details of the March 2026 Air Canada plane crash
On March 22, an Air Canada Express plane crashed at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, colliding with a Port Authority rescue vehicle on the ground. Two pilots were killed in the accident.
More than 40 people were injured, and many were taken to hospitals. The tragedy appears to have been caused by communication problems.
