The Boeing 737 model in the South Korea crash has a stellar safety record — and is flown by nearly every airline in the world

31.12.2024 - 04:25 / insider.com / Geoffrey Thomas

The Boeing plane that crashed in South Korea on Sunday, killing 179, has a remarkable safety record.

The 737-800 model is among the world's most widely used passenger planes, with some 4,400 in service for nearly 200 airlines, according to data from Cirium.

In its nearly 30 years of service, the 737 variant — much older than the problematic Max models —  has seen 1,100 fatalities from 17 accidents, according to data compiled by the Aviation Safety Network, a nonprofit research organization.

That's a relatively low crash rate, given the thousands of plane units produced and the millions of passenger flights completed. The model remains a backbone of global aviation.

"The 737-800 is a great airplane, the workhorse of the world, if you like," Airline News editor and aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas told Business Insider. "It is the most reliable aircraft out there."

Human error has contributed to most of the fatal 737-800 accidents.

The first fatal crash involving the 737-800 was Brazil's Gol Airlines in 2006. The plane experienced a midair collision with a private jet and broke up, killing all 154 passengers and crew.

Investigators said errors by an air traffic controller and the private pilots were to blame.

Pilot error was a factor in several other 737-800 crashes, such as a 2007 Kenya Air flight, two Air India Express accidents in 2010 and 2020, and a 2016 Flydubai crash.

No US airline has experienced a fatal 737-800 crash, though some have been damaged due to things like mechanical issues, weather, bird strikes, and pilot error.

Some 737-800 accidents were due to other factors. In 2020, 176 people died after a Ukraine International Airlines flight was shot down by Iran.

In 2022, a China Eastern Airlines 737-800 nose-dived, killing 132, but the investigation is ongoing. A Wall Street Journal report that year said US officials had pointed to someone in the cockpit intentionally crashing the jet.

A China Airlines plane that crashed but suffered no fatalities in 2007 pointed to airline mechanic error and inadequate maintenance guidance from Boeing, Japanese investigators found.

Following the crash, the US Federal Aviation Administration instructed 737 operators in the US to ensure the maintenance component that caused the accident was properly installed.

The 737-800 is part of Boeing's "next generation" or "NG" line of planes, which also includes the smaller 737-600 and 737-700 and the larger 737-900.

The 737-800 first flew in 1998, and the model competes with the Airbus A320 narrowbody jetliner.

The NG planes were an upgrade to the classic 737 models with more range and fuel efficiency. The 737-800 can fly about 3,400 miles and carry up to 189 passengers, making it popular for short and medium-haul