Loading Page...

Has the A340 ever crashed?

The Air France jetliner that burst into flames after crashing in Toronto is the first A340 plane to crash since the craft was introduced by manufacturer Airbus more than a decade ago. The plane in Tuesday's accident was an A340-300, an Airbus spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday night.



The Airbus A340 has a remarkably strong safety record, and notably, no passenger has ever been killed in a crash involving this aircraft type during a commercial flight. While there have been several "hull losses" (accidents where the plane was damaged beyond repair), they did not result in fatalities for those on board. The most famous incident was Air France Flight 358 in 2005, which overshot the runway in Toronto during a severe thunderstorm and burst into flames; miraculously, all 309 people on board escaped within two minutes. Other hull losses occurred due to ground incidents, such as a 2007 engine test in Toulouse where an unchoked aircraft jumped its blocks and crashed into a wall, and a 1994 hangar fire during maintenance in France. Because the A340 is a four-engine "quad-jet," it was designed for extreme reliability on long-haul transoceanic routes. Although it is now being phased out by many airlines in favor of more fuel-efficient twin-engine planes like the A350, it remains one of the statistically safest aircraft ever built in aviation history.

People Also Ask

The safest commercial aircraft models have exceptional safety records, such as the Embraer ERJ, Airbus A380, Boeing 767, Airbus A319neo, and Bombardier CRJ-700.

MORE DETAILS

Airbus A380: The Airbus A380, known as the largest commercial airplane, has never experienced a fatal crash. While it has had a few accidents related to engine problems, these incidents were effectively controlled, and the A380 is considered to be a reliable and safe aircraft.

MORE DETAILS