Famous People who Died in Plane Crashes
1 - 37 of 37 Historically important and notable famous people who died in plane crashes ranked by their popularity on On This Day.
1. Todd Beamer
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Amelia Earhart
4. Buddy Holly
5. Rocky Marciano
6. Yuri Gagarin
7. Roald Amundsen
8. Will Rogers
9. Frederick Banting
10. Joseph A. Walker
11. Otis Redding
12. Bessie Coleman
13. Ramon Magsaysay
14. Stevie Ray Vaughan
15. Harriet Quimby
16. John Denver
17. Ricky Nelson
18. Glenn Miller
19. Charles Rolls
20. Roberto Clemente
21. John F. Kennedy Jr.
22. Francis Gary Powers
23. Dag Hammarskjöld
24. Patsy Cline
25. Yevgeny Prigozhin
26. Payne Stewart
27. Jim Croce
28. Wiley Post
29. Jenni Rivera
30. Graham Hill
31. Carlos Gardel
32. Maribel Vinson
33. Hansie Cronje
34. Sebastián Piñera
35. Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr.
36. William George Barker
37. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
List of Deaths from Plane Crash
- 1908-09-17 Thomas Selfridge, early American aviator, 1st person to die in an air crash at 26
- 1912-07-01 Harriet Quimby, American pioneering aviator, 1st woman in the US to receive a pilot certificate and to cross the English Channel, dies in a plane crash at 37 after her biplane unexpectedly pitched forward and threw her and her passenger to their deaths
- 1918-02-15 Vernon Castle [Blyth] English-American vaudeville, stage, and screen ballroom dancer, and fighter pilot, dies in a plane crash at 30
- 1926-04-30 Bessie Coleman, American aviator and 1st African-American woman and Native American to hold a pilot license, dies in a plane crash at 34
- 1928-06-18 Roald Amundsen, Norwegian polar explorer who led the 1st expedition to the South Pole, dies in a plane crash while flying on a rescue mission in the Arctic at 55
- 1930-03-12 William George Barker, Canadian fighter ace (Victoria Cross recipient), dies in a plane crash during a demonstration flight at 35
- 1931-03-31 Knute Rockne, American College Football HOF coach, (National C'ships 1924, 29, 30 Notre Dame; record 105–12–5), dies in a plane crash at 43
- 1931-11-19 Xu Zhimo, Chinese poet, dies in a plane crash at 34
- 1932-09-11 Franciszek Żwirko, Polish pilot (co-winner of 'Challenge 1932'), dies in a plane crash at 36
- 1932-09-11 Stanislaw Wigura, Polish airplane designer and aviator (co-winner of international 'Challenge 1932'), dies in a plane crash at 31
- 1933-01-07 Herbert "Bert" Hinkler, Australian aviator who made first solo flight from England to Australia (1928), dies in a plane crash at 40
- 1934-06-06 Max Pallenberg [Pollack], Austrian extempore farce actor (Morn to Midnight), husband of operetta star Fritzi Massary, dies in air crash at 56
- 1935-05-06 Bronson M. Cutting, American politician (Senator (R) New Mexico 1927-28, 1929-35), dies in a plane crash at 46
- 1935-06-24 Carlos Gardel, French-Argentine singer-songwriter and prominent figure in the history of tango, dies in a plane crash at 44
- 1935-08-15 Will Rogers, American humorist and actor (Judge Priest), dies in a plane crash in Alaska at 55
- 1941-02-21 Frederick Banting, Canadian physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, dies in a plane crash at 49
- 1941-10-20 Ken Farnes, English cricket fast bowler (15 Tests, 60 wickets, BB 6/96; Essex CCC, Cambridge University CC), dies in a plane crash during a WWII night-flying exercise at 30
- 1942-01-16 Carole Lombard [Jane Alice Peters], American actress (My Man Godfrey; To Be or Not to Be), dies in a plane crash at 33
- 1942-02-08 Fritz Todt, German construction engineer, Reich Minister for Armaments and Munitions Reichs minister and Head of the Organization Todt, dies in a plane crash at 50
- 1942-10-23 Ralph Rainger [Reichenthal], American song and film composer (Thanks for the Memory; Love In Bloom), dies in a plane crash at 41
- 1942-11-27 Arthur Langton, South African cricket medium pace bowler (15 Tests, 40 wickets), dies in a military air crash at 30
- 1943-07-04 Władysław Sikorski, Polish World War II general and Prime Minister of Poland in exile (1939-43), killed in a plane crash at 62
- 1944-03-23 O.C. Wingate, British General-Major (Burma), dies in air crash in India at 41
- 1944-11-08 Walter Nowotny, Austrian-born fighter pilot ace (258 aerial victories for Luftwaffe), dies in a plane crash at 23
- 1945-11-03 James Frederick Wagner, father of Priscilla Presley, dies in a plane crash
- 1947-11-28 Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, French general and WWII hero known as the "Liberator of Paris", dies in a plane crash at 44
- 1949-10-27 Marcel Cerdan, French boxer (NBA, NYSAC, The Ring middleweight titles 1948-49), dies in a plane crash at 33
- 1949-10-27 Ginette Neveu, French child prodigy and concert violinist, dies in a plane crash on São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal at 30
- 1953-10-29 William Kapell, American concert pianist and recording artist, dies in a plane crash at 31
- 1954-10-12 George Welch, American World War II flying ace (Medal of Honor nominee) and test pilot, dies in a plane crash of his experiential F-100 Super Sabre at 36
- 1956-11-24 Guido Cantelli, Italian conductor, dies in a plane crash at Orly Airport, Paris at 36
- 1957-03-17 Ramon Magsaysay, 7th President of the Philippines, dies in a plane crash at 49
- 1957-04-15 Pedro Infante, Mexican actor and ranchero singer, dies as co-pilot in a plane crash at 39
- 1958-03-22 Michael "Mike" Todd [Avrom Goldbogen], American producer (Around the World in 80 Days) and 3rd husband of Elizabeth Taylor, dies in a plane crash at 48
- 1958-10-12 Ed Hinton, American actor (I Lived 3 Lives -"Agent Henderson"), dies in a plane crash at Santa Catalina Island, California at 39
- 1959-02-03 Buddy Holly [Charles Holley], American rock and roll musician and songwriter ("Peggy Sue"; "That'll Be the Day"; "Words Of Love"), dies in a plane crash at 22
- 1960-04-23 Cornelis Jan Bakker, Dutch nuclear physicist (Director of CERN), dies in a plane crash at 56
- 1961-02-15 Maribel Vinson, American figure skater (9 time US National Champion) and coach, dies in a plane crash at 49
- 1961-02-15 Laurence Owen, American figure skater (U.S. and North American champion), dies in a plane crash at 16
- 1961-02-15 Maribel Yerxa Owen, American figure skater (U.S. Pairs champion, 1961), dies in a plane crash at 20
- 1961-02-15 Dudley Richards, American figure skater (U.S. Pairs champion, 1961), dies in a plane crash at 29
- 1961-09-18 Dag Hammarskjöld, Swedish public servant, 2nd Secretary-General of the United Nations (1953-61) and posthumous Nobel Peace Prize winner (1961), dies in a plane crash in Africa at 56
- 1963-03-05 Harold "Hawkshaw" Hawkins, American country singer (Ozark Jubilee; "Lonesome 7-7203"), dies in a plane crash at 41
- 1963-03-05 Patsy Cline [Virginia Henlsey], American country singer ("Crazy"; "I Fall To Pieces"; "Walkin' After Midnight"), dies in a plane crash at 30
- 1963-03-05 Lloyd "Cowboy" Copas, American country singer ("Candy Kisses"; "Alabam"), dies in a plane crash at 49
- 1966-04-13 Abdul Salam Arif, Iraqi politician and President of Iraq (1963-66), killed in a plane crash at 45
- 1966-06-08 Joseph A. Walker, American experimental physicist, World War II and NASA test pilot (1st spaceplane flights to edge of outer space), dies in an aircraft collision at 45
- 1966-07-24 Tony Lema, American golfer (British Open 1964), dies in a plane crash at 32
- 1967-12-10 Otis Redding, American soul singer-songwriter ("(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"; "Respect"), dies in a plane crash in Lake Monona, Wisconsin at 26
- 1969-08-31 Rocky Marciano, American boxer (undefeated world heavyweight champion 1952-56), dies in a plane crash at 45
- 1970-05-09 Walter P. Reuther, American worker's union leader & president of the CIO, dies in a plane crash at 62
- 1971-05-28 Audie Murphy, American soldier who was among the most decorated in WW II with 33 medals and actor (To Hell and Back, Whispering Smiths), killed in a plane crash at 46
- 1971-09-13 Lin Biao, Chinese Communist Marshal during the Civil War and party leader, dies in a plane crash at 63, possibly while fleeing from a botched coup against Mao
- 1972-10-16 (Thomas) Hale Boggs, American politician (US Representative from Louisiana, 1947-73), presumed killed in a plane crash at 58
- 1972-12-31 Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (15 x MLB All Star; World Series 1960, 71 [MVP]; Pittsburgh Pirates), dies in a plane crash at 38
- 1973-09-20 Jim Croce, American singer-songwriter ("Time in a Bottle"; "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown"), dies in a plane crash at 30
- 1973-09-20 Maurice T. "Maury" Muehleisen, American musician and songwriter (Jim Croce), dies in a plane crash at 24
- 1974-08-09 Bill Chase, American jazz-rock trumpet player and bandleader (Chase), dies in a plane crash at 39
- 1974-08-31 William Pershing Benedict, American World War II fighter pilot in both the RCAF and U.S. Army Air Forces, killed in a plane crash while firefighting in California at 56
- 1977-03-27 Eve Meyer, X actress (Immoral Mr Teas), dies in a plane crash at 46
- 1977-10-20 Cassie Gaines, American rock singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies in a plane crash at 28
- 1977-10-20 Ronnie Van Zant, American rock musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies in a plane crash at 29
- 1977-10-20 Steve Gaines, American rock vocalist and guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies in a plane crash at 28
- 1979-08-02 Thurman Munson, American baseball catcher (MLB All-Star 1971, 73–78; World Series 1977, 78; AL MVP 1976; NY Yankees), dies in a plane crash at 32
- 1980-06-23 Sanjay Gandhi, Indian politician, dies in a plane crash at 33
- 1982-03-19 Randy Rhoads, American heavy metal guitarist (Quiet Riot), dies in an air crash at 25
- 1982-11-02 Lester Roloff, American fundamentalist preacher, dies in a plane crash at 68
- 1985-11-27 Allan Ramsey, American rock bassist (Gary Lewis & the Playboys,1964-65 - "This Diamond Ring"), dies in a plane crash at 42
- 1985-12-31 (Eric) "Ricky" Nelson, American pop-rock star ("Hello Mary Lou"; "It's Late"; "Garden Party") and actor (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), dies in a plane crash at 45
- 1986-05-24 Stephen D Thorne, Lt Cmdr USN/astronaut, dies in a plane crash at 33
- 1986-10-20 Samora Machel, President of Mozambique, dies in air crash at 53
- 1989-08-13 Larkin Smith, American politician (Rep-R-Mississippi 1989), dies in a plane crash at 45
- 1991-03-16 7 members of Reba McIntire's band, killed in a plane crash
- 1991-04-04 John Heinz, American businessman and Republican politician (Senator from Pennsylvania, 1977-1991), dies in a plane crash at 52
- 1991-04-05 John Tower, American politician (US Senator (R)-Texas), dies in a plane crash at 65
- 1993-03-05 Peter Bierdrager, Dutch Fokker's-test pilot, dies in air crash
- 1993-04-19 George Mickelson, American politician (Governor of South Dakota 1987-93), dies in a plane crash at 52
- 1993-07-13 Davey Allison, American auto racer (Daytona 500 1992), dies in a plane crash at 32
- 1994-03-22 Igor Aleinikov, Russian director (tractors, air crash), dies at 32
- 1995-01-04 Eduardo Mata, Mexican conductor (Improvisaciones), dies in air crash at 52
- 1996-04-03 Ron Brown, American politician (US Secretary of Commerce, 1993-96; Democratic Party Chairman, 1989-93), dies in an air crash approaching Dubrovnik, Croatia, at 54
- 1996-05-11 Walter Hyatt, American singer-songwriter (Uncle Walt's Band), dies in a plane crash in the Florida Everglades at 46
- 1996-07-21 John Kevin Moorhouse, British test pilot, dies in a plane crash during an air show at 50
- 1997-08-10 Jean-Claude Lauzon, director/writer (Leola), dies in air crash at 43
- 1999-07-16 John F. Kennedy Jr, American magazine publisher (George), lawyer and son of JFK, dies in a plane crash at 38
- 1999-10-25 Payne Stewart, American golfer (US Open 1991, 99; PGA 1989), dies in a plane crash at 42
- 2001-08-25 Aaliyah [Haughton], American singer and actress, dies in a plane crash in the Bahamas at 22
- 2001-09-11 Todd Beamer, American passenger and hero on United Airlines Flight 93, dies at 32 in a plane crash trying to stop the 9/11 terrorists
- 2001-11-24 Melanie Thornton, American pop-dance singer (La Bouche - "Be My Lover"), dies in a plane crash near Zürich, Switzerland, at 34
- 2002-06-01 Hansie Cronje, South African cricket batsman and captain (68 Tests, 3,714 runs, 43 wickets; 188 ODIs; life ban for match-fixing 2000), dies in a plane crash at 32
- 2002-10-25 Paul Wellstone, American politician (Sen-D-Minnesota 1991-2002), dies in a plane crash at 58
- 2004-10-24 Randy Dorton, American race car engine builder (Director of Engine Operations Hendrick Motorsports; 9 x NASCAR C'ships), dies in a plane crash at 50
- 2007-07-28 Jim LeRoy, American aerobatics pilot, dies in a plane crash at the Dayton airshow at 46
- 2012-12-09 Jenni Rivera, Mexican-American singer-songwriter (Jenni, 2008), dies in a plane crash at 43
- 2015-03-24 Maria Radner, German operatic contralto, specializing in Wagner, dies in a plane crash at 33
- 2015-06-22 James Horner, American Academy Award-winning film composer (Titanic; Apollo 13; Avatar), dies in a plane crash at 61
- 2016-10-13 Jim Prentice, Canadian politician, Premier of Alberta (2014-15), dies in a plane crash at 60
- 2016-12-07 Junaid Jamshed, Pakistani singer (Vital Signs 1), dies in a plane crash at 52
- 2016-12-25 Valery Khalilov, Russian military conductor and composer, dies in a plane crash in the Black Sea, near Sochi, at 64
- 2018-05-05 Aaron D. Panken, American rabbi, dies in a plane crash at 53
- 2019-09-15 Mike Stefanik, American auto racer (9 NASCAR Modified Championships), dies in a plane crash at 61
- 2019-12-28 Carley Ann McCord, American sports reporter (Cox Sports TV; in-game host New Orleans Pelicans, New Orleans Saints), dies in a plane crash at 30
- 2021-04-23 Bill Whittington, American auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1979), dies in a plane crash at 71
- 2021-11-05 Marília Mendonça, Brazilian Sertaneja singer-songwriter, dies in a plane crash at 26
- 2023-08-23 Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian oligarch and mercenary leader (Wagner Group), killed in a plane crash at 62