List of Accidents and Incidents Involving Commercial Aircraft - 1981

1981

• March 28 – Garuda Indonesia Flight 206, a Douglas DC-9, is hijacked by Komando Jihad, the pilot is killed; all others survive.
• June 26 – Dan-Air Flight 240, a Hawker Siddeley HS 748, crashes near Nailstone, Leicestershire due to failure of the baggage door, causing rapid decompression and loss of control; all 3 crew on board die.
• July 20 – Somali Airlines Flight 40, a Fokker F27 Friendship, crashed shortly after takeoff from Mogadishu International Airport. All 50 passengers and crew on board were killed.
• August 13 – The G-ASWI North Sea ditching of a Bristow Helicopters Westland Wessex due to engine failure kills all 13 on board.
• August 22 – Far Eastern Air Transport Flight 103, a Boeing 737, disintegrates during flight and crashed near Taipei, Taiwan; severe corrosion in the fuselage structure leads to explosive decompression and disintegration at high altitude; all 110 on board are killed.
• October 6 – NLM CityHopper Flight 431, a Fokker F28 Fellowship, is destroyed in flight by a tornado near Rotterdam, killing all 17 people on board.
• December 1 – Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 1308, a McDonnell Douglas MD-81, crashes in the mountains while approaching Campo dell'Oro Airport in Ajaccio, Corsica, killing all 180 on board.