As of January 2025, American Airlines has had almost 60 aircraft hull losses, beginning with the crash of a Ford 5-AT-C Trimotor in August 1931. Of the hull losses, most were propeller-driven aircraft, including three Lockheed L-188 Electra aircraft (of which one, the crash in 1959 of Flight 320, resulted in fatalities). The two accidents with the highest fatalities in both the airline's and U.S. aviation history were Flight 191 in 1979 and Flight 587 in 2001.
Out of the 17 hijackings of American Airlines flights, two aircraft were hijacked and destroyed in the September 11 attacks: Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center and Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. Flight 11, which is responsible for an estimated 1,700 deaths, is the deadliest air crash in the history of aviation.
Two training flight accidents have occurred in which the crew was killed and six that resulted in no fatalities. Another four jet aircraft have been written off due to incidents while they were parked between flights or while undergoing maintenance.
1930s August 9, 1931: A Ford 5-AT-C Trimotor, registration NC9662, crashed on the bank of the Little Miami River near Cincinnati, Ohio, killing all six on board. The cause was failure and separation of the right-side engine due to a broken hub.American Airways NC9662 accident synopsis retrieved 2011-20-12 December 31, 1931: A Pilgrim 100A, registration NC708Y, crashed at Brighton, Ohio, after the pilot became disoriented in poor weather, killing four of five on board. March 19, 1932: A Fokker F-10A, registration NC652E, crashed in an orchard near Calimesa, California, after striking power lines in heavy fog, killing all seven on board. The pilot had reduced altitude due to thick fog and had descended too low. September 8, 1932: A Fokker F-10A, registration NC9716, crashed into a mountain in fog near Salt Flat, Texas, killing all three on board. The aircraft was operating a cargo flight from El Paso to Dallas. January 20, 1933: A Stearman 4-CM1, registration NC11721, crashed into a hillside in poor visibility near Boerne, Texas, killing the pilot. The cause was spatial disorientation.American Airways NC11721 accident synopsis retrieved 2011-20-12 March 6, 1934: A Pilgrim 100A, registration NC710Y, crashed into a snowdrift near Petersburg, Illinois, during a blizzard, killing all four on board. The cause was wing/propeller icing.American Airways NC710Y accident synopsis retrieved 2011-20-12 June 9, 1934: A Curtiss T-32 Condor II, registration NC12354, crashed into Last Chance Hill in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, killing all seven on board. The cause was pilot error.American Airways Flight 1 accident synopsis retrieved 2011-20-12 December 22, 1934: A Lockheed 9 Orion, registration NC12286, crashed into the side of a mountain located 32 km (19.88 mi) southwest of Louisville Airport at an altitude of 6,000 feet shortly after taking off from the airport en route to Nashville. The pilot, the sole occupant, was killed. January 14, 1936: A Douglas DC-2-120 operating as American Airlines Flight 1 crashed near Goodwin, Arkansas, killing all 17 people on board. Its cause is undetermined.American Airways Flight 1 accident synopsis retrieved 2010-06-05 January 29, 1936: A Vultee V-1A, registration NC13767, struck trees and crashed at Little Elm, Texas, after the pilot descended too low in poor visibility, killing the pilot; the five passengers were injured, but survived. May 26, 1936: A trimotor [type unknown] caught fire 600 feet above Chicago Municipal Airport, forcing an emergency landing. Edward Coates, pilot, suffered severe burns as he brought the plane down for a landing. Co-pilot was W.C. Carnegie, and one passenger, R.A. Atalo. All three onboard were from Detroit. The plane was carrying airmail and express packages.The Kansas City Times August 13, 1936: A Curtiss AT-32A Condor II, registration NC12392, caught fire and exploded at Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale, California, as it was being prepared for a flight on behalf of a film company; no casualties resulted. September 27, 1937: Two Curtiss T-32 Condor IIs (AT-32B NC12394 and AT-32D NC12397) burned out in hangar fires.
1940s March 10, 1941: American Airlines Flight 20, a Douglas DC-3, landed next to the runway and rolled into a levee at Cincinnati Municipal Airport due to weather and pilot error; all 12 on board survived. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service. October 30, 1941: American Airlines Flight 1, a Douglas DC-3 en route from New York City to Detroit with two stopovers at Buffalo and Chicago, stalled and dived into a plowed field over St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, killing all 20 on board after circling to look for a place to land. Its cause is undetermined. October 23, 1942: American Airlines Flight 28 (Flagship Connecticut), en route from Burbank, California, to New York City, crashed in Chino Canyon near Palm Springs after it was clipped by a U.S. Army Air Forces Lockheed B-34 Ventura II bomber. The crash killed all nine passengers and crew of three aboard the Douglas DC-3; among the victims was award-winning composer and Hollywood songwriter Ralph Rainger. The bomber, being flown by a two-man crew, landed safely. July 28, 1943: American Airlines Flight 63 (Flagship Ohio), a Douglas DC-3 routing Cleveland-Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati-Louisville-Nashville-Memphis crashed about west of Trammel, Kentucky. The aircraft descended from until it struck trees, then traveled across an open field and stopped in an upright position. Of the 22 people on board (18 passenger and four crew), 20 died. The cause of the crash was loss of control due to severe turbulence and violent downdrafts.Record 19430728-0 at Aviation Safety Net September 15, 1943: A Douglas DC-3, registration NC33657, stalled and crashed shortly after takeoff from Love Field; both pilots survived. October 15, 1943: American Airlines Flight 63 (Flagship Missouri), a Douglas DC-3 routing Nashville-Memphis crashed near Centerville, Tennessee. The aircraft was cleared to climb by air traffic control, but it instead descended until it struck a hill and burst into flames. All 11 people on board (eight passengers and three crew) were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be icing, either on the wings or propellers.Record 19431015-0 at Aviation Safety Net February 10, 1944: American Airlines Flight 2, a DC-3 routing Little Rock, Arkansas-Memphis crashed into the Mississippi River about from Memphis International Airport. All 24 occupants on board (21 passengers and three crew members) were killed; 11 of the fatalities were members of the armed services. The cause of the crash was never determined.Record 19440210-0 at Aviation Safety Net December 24, 1944: American Airlines Flight 21, a Douglas DST, collided with a Taylorcraft BL-65 (NC24403) near Saline, Michigan; the BL-65 lost control and crashed while the DST performed a wheels-up, flaps-down landing. All on both aircraft survived. The cause of the crash was lack of vigilance of the crew of the DST. January 10, 1945: American Airlines Flight 6001, a Douglas DC-3, was approaching Lockheed Air Terminal, now known as Bob Hope Airport, in Burbank, California, when it apparently veered to the left as if circling to land. The pilot radioed, stating he could not gain visual contact with the ground and requested vectors to Palmdale. Clearance to proceed was given, but the flight was not seen or heard from again until the next day, when search crews found the wreckage in foothills about northeast of the Lockheed Air Terminal. All 24 occupants (21 passengers and three crew), including 17 members of the Army and Navy, were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be the pilot's missed approach procedure to the point where it could not be applied safely.Record 19450110-0 at Aviation Safety Net February 23, 1945: American Airlines Flight 9, a Douglas DC-3 flying on a routing New York City-Washington, DC-Nashville-Los Angeles, crashed into the wooded summit of Glade Mountain about southwest of the town of Rural Retreat, Virginia. Of the 22 occupants on board (19 passengers and three crewmembers), 17 were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error in not properly remaining at a safe altitude.Record 19430223-0 at Aviation Safety Net March 3, 1946: American Airlines Flight 6-103, a Douglas DC-3, routing New York City-Tucson-San Diego, crashed into Thing Mountain, near El Centro, California. The crew reported flying over El Centro; thereafter the aircraft descended and crashed into the mountain. All 27 occupants on board (22 paid passengers, two infants, and three crew) were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be the pilot's action in permitting the descent to occur, for which no explanation has been found.Record 19460303-0 at Aviation Safety Net August 25, 1946: American Airlines Flight 26, (Flagship Tulsa), a Douglas C-47, was on a training flight originating and terminating in Memphis. Around west-southwest of Ashland, Mississippi, the aircraft crashed into the ground. Both occupants on board were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be an unexplained loss of control.Record 19460825-0 at Aviation Safety Net December 28, 1946: American Airlines Flight 2207, a Douglas C-50A, routing Detroit-Chicago crashed near Michigan City, Indiana, after an emergency diversion to South Bend after the pilot reported problems with both engines. Of the 21 occupants on board (18 passengers and three crew), two of the crew were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be fuel starvation in both engines. January 5, 1947: American Airlines Flight 203, a Douglas DC-3, landed wheels-up at Jones Beach, New York, due to radio interference problems; all 16 on board survived. The cause of the crash was the "inability of the pilot to land at a prepared landing area due to the loss of radio navigation reference resulting from severe static interference".Record 19470105-2 at Aviation Safety Net August 8, 1947: American Airlines Flight 765, a Douglas DC-3 flying New York City-Buffalo on a cargo flight (transporting an engine) crashed into Flushing Bay while returning to La Guardia Airport after the pilot reported low oil pressure in the number-two engine. The aircraft sank in about five minutes. Both pilots on board were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be insufficient air speed for single-engined operation while attempting the landing.Record 19470808-0 at Aviation Safety Net October 8, 1947: An American Airlines Douglas DC-4 over Texas went into a steep dive after a prank played by an off-duty pilot. The off-duty pilot secretly activated the wind-gust lock in flight, which resulted in the command pilot, not realizing that the wind-gust lock was activated, rolling the elevator trim with no response. When the off-duty pilot deactivated the gust lock, the aircraft went into a steep dive, executed part of an outside loop and became inverted. Neither the command pilot nor the off-duty pilot had his seat belts fastened, which led them to hit the propeller feathering switches with their heads. No one realized the feathering reduced power, but it allowed the strapped-in copilot to bring the aircraft back under control at an altitude of 350 feet.Strange and Unusual Accidents at Plane Crash Info. Retrieved 16 April 2013. November 11, 1947: A Douglas DC-6, registration NC90741, landed in flames at Gallup Airport after the pilot reported a fire in the rear of the aircraft; all 25 on board survived. Although severely damaged by the fire, the intact aircraft was used to determine the cause of the crash of United Air Lines Flight 608. All DC-6s were grounded and recalled so the cabin heater intake scoop could be redesigned and moved. These changes still stand to this day.