The world's deadliest mid-air collision The Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision occurred on 12 November 1996 over the village of Charkhi Dadri, to the west of New Delhi, India.

The deadliest mid-air collision in aviation history remains the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, which occurred on November 12, 1996. A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 and a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 collided over the village of Charkhi Dadri in India, resulting in the loss of all 349 people on board both aircraft. The accident was primarily attributed to the Kazakhstan Airlines pilot failing to maintain the assigned altitude due to a misunderstanding of English-language air traffic control instructions. This tragedy led to massive global reforms in aviation safety, including the mandatory installation of the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) on all commercial aircraft. In 2026, TCAS remains the primary electronic "failsafe" that prevents such disasters by providing pilots with "Resolution Advisories" to climb or descend if another aircraft gets too close, effectively making mid-air collisions between large commercial jets an extremely rare event.