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A little over a month into 2026, a series of aeroplane accidents and close calls has once again brought aviation safety into focus. Here's a look at the aviation mishaps that have been reported in 2026 so far.
Just over a month into the year 2026, a series of plane crashes and close calls has once again brought aviation safety into focus. While commercial air travel remains a popular mode of transport, a series of accidents involving private and commercial aircraft has marked the early months of the year.
On Tuesday, 3 February, two passenger aircraft, an Air India and an IndiGo plane, suffered a wingtip grazing incident on the ground at Mumbai airport. Both planes had passengers on board when the incident happened. In January, seven people were killed and a crew member was seriously injured after a Bombardier Challenger 600 business jet crashed during takeoff in heavy snowfall at Maine’s Bangor International Airport in the US.
Here is a look at aviation tragedies and close calls that have happened this year so far.
1. Wing collision at Mumbai Airport (2 February)
Two commercial aircraft — an Air India and an IndiGo Airbus A320 — were involved in a ground incident at Mumbai airport when their wingtips scraped while taxiing. A wingtip grazing happens when the tip of one plane's wing makes contact with another aircraft or the ground, often occurring during taxiing or low-level manoeuvring. Such incidents can result in structural damage to the wingtip or winglet, requiring maintenance.
2. Learjet plane crash (28 January)
A chartered Learjet 45XR crashed while attempting to land at Baramati Airport in Maharashtra, killing all five people on board, including former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Baramati airport manager Shivaji Taware said the aircraft, VT SSK, was attempting to land when it went off the side of the runway and exploded on crashing, Hindustan Times reported earlier.
3. Passenger plane crash in Columbia (29 January)
On 29 January 2026, a passenger plane operated by Colombia's Satena airlines– which was a Beechcraft 1900D – crashed in a mountainous area close to the Venezuelan border, killing all passengers and crew, authorities in Bogotá said, as reported by AFP. A total of 15 people, including passengers and crew members, were on board.
4. Bangor private jet crash in US (25 January)
Seven people were killed and one crew member was seriously injured after a private business jet crashed during takeoff amid heavy snowfall at Maine’s Bangor International Airport on Sunday night, US aviation authorities said.
The Bombardier Challenger 600, carrying eight people, went down around 7:45 PM local time as a massive winter storm swept across New England and much of the eastern United States. The aircraft crashed shortly after departure and caught fire, according to preliminary information released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
5. ATR 42 Crash in Indonesia (17 January 2026)
An ATR 42-500 aircraft operated by Indonesia Air Transport, which went missing near Makassar on 17 January 2026, was later confirmed to have crashed after its wreckage was spotted on a mountain, as per multiple reports.
The turboprop ATR 42-500 operated by Indonesia Air Transport was on the way from Yogyakarta to the capital city of South Sulawesi when it vanished from radar, said Endah Purnama Sari, a spokesperson for the Transportation Ministry, as per the Associated Press. The aircraft was carrying 10 people, including seven crew members and three passengers.
6. Private jet crash in Odisha (10 January)
A small private jet crashed in Odisha's Sundargarh district in Rourkela on 10 January 2026, with people trapped inside. No casualties were reported.
The jet was a nine-seater Cessna Grand C208B aircraft, operated by India One Air – flying from Bhubaneshwar to Rourkela. The plane had a total of six people on board – including two pilots and four passengers.
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