KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736, March 27, 1977 This crash remains the deadliest ever, claiming the lives of 583 people when two 747s collided on a foggy runway on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

In terms of total fatalities in commercial aviation history, the Boeing 747 (the "Queen of the Skies") has been involved in accidents resulting in the highest number of deaths. This is largely a statistical inevitability: the 747 was the primary long-haul wide-body jet for over 50 years, flying more hours and carrying significantly more passengers per flight than almost any other aircraft. The Tenerife airport disaster in 1977, which remains the deadliest accident in history with 583 fatalities, involved two Boeing 747s. Additionally, the crash of Japan Air Lines Flight 123 in 1985 remains the deadliest single-aircraft accident, claiming 520 lives. However, it is critical to distinguish between "total deaths" and "safety record." In 2026, the 747 is considered an incredibly safe and reliable aircraft; its high fatality count is a reflection of its massive passenger capacity and half-century of service during an era when aviation safety technology was still maturing. When measured by "fatalities per million flights," modern aircraft like the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787 have nearly spotless records, reflecting the massive leap in safety engineering over the last few decades.