Nearly 900 people are dead or missing following air disasters around the world this year, with Southeast Asia taking a particularly heavy hit. Three major events involved weather, two planes were shot down in eastern Ukraine, and one crash was attributed to mechanical problems.
Hundreds of passengers and crew remain unaccounted for in the case of a Malaysia Airlines flight that vanished in March.
Feb. 11: An Algerian Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules transporting 78 military passengers and crew crashes on an internal flight from Tamanrasset to Constantine. One person survives. The Algerian defense ministry attributes the crash to storms and snow over the mountainous Oum El-Bouaghi region.
Mar. 8: Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappears en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard; no confirmed wreckage of the plane has been found despite a search of more than 23,000 square miles.
June 14: A Ukrainian Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 carrying troops and equipment is shot down by anti-aircraft fire in eastern Ukraine on its approach to the Luhansk Airport. All 49 people aboard died. Ukrainian military forces were engaged in a conflict with pro-Russia separatists in the area at the time.
July 17: Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur is shot down over a rebel-held area of eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people aboard. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry condemned Russia for what he called "overwhelming evidence" of complicity in the airliner's downing.
July 23: Taiwan domestic flight TransAsia Airways Flight 222 crashes in heavy rains and wind on Penghu Island after travelling from Kaohsiung International Airport. Of the 58 people aboard, only 10 survive. A preliminary report released by aviation officials on Friday indicates the pilots could not see the runway after a failed first landing attempt.
July 24: Air Algérie Flight 5017 disintegrates on impact after encountering rough weather in the skies over Mali en route from Burkina Faso to Algiers. All 118 passengers and crew are killed.
Aug. 10: Iran's domestic Sepahan Airlines Flight 5915 from Tehran to Tabas crashes shortly after takeoff, killing 39 of the 48 passengers and crew. Iran's aviation chief said those on board survived the crash but died in the ensuing fire. The state news agency cites engine failure as the cause.
