Posted by TJ on Saturday September 20, 2008 @ 04:28 PM
[Tags: news, article, tv]

Okay I feel like traveling by airplane is getting a lot more dangerous while advances in technology should be making it more safer. Below is a list of plane crashes involving famous people. Note that these are all private planes so don't worry commercial airlines are probably still the safest way to travel, however, it does seem like a lot more famous people die from private airplane crashes then car accidents.

• James Stephen Fossett (April 22, 1944 - missing September 3, 2007, declared legally dead February 15, 2008) was an American aviator, sailor, and adventurer who became the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon. Partial remains and wreckage of his plane was not found until a year later on September 29th 2008. Source
  
  
• Cory Fulton Lidle (March 22, 1972 – October 11, 2006) was a Yankee right-handed baseball pitcher who died when the small aircraft he owned crashed into a residential building in New York City. Source
  
  
• Peter David Tomarken (December 7, 1942 – March 13, 2006) was an American television personality primarily known as the host of Press Your Luck. Tomarken, a private pilot, and his second wife, Kathleen, were killed when his Beechcraft Bonanza A36, N16JR, crashed a few hundred feet offshore in Santa Monica Bay during climb-out from the Santa Monica Airport in California on the morning of March 13, 2006 Source
  
  
• John Thomas Walton was a decorated American war veteran, and a son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. On June 27, 2005, Walton died when the CGS Hawk Arrow homebuilt aircraft that he was piloting Crashed shortly after takeoff. Source
  
  
• Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was a Grammy-nominated American singer, dancer, actress, model, teen idol. Aliyah's plane crashed shortly after takeoff killing all 7 on board citing overweight cargo (sound equipment) and an unqualified pilot as the cause. Source
  
  
• John F Kennedy Jr, the third son of the late president JFK. On July 16, 1999, at the age of 38, Kennedy died along with his wife and his sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette, when the aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. Source
  
  
• John Denver (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), One of the most popular artists of the 1970s, was an American Country Music/folk singer-songwriter and folk rock musician. On October 12, 1997, Denver was killed when the Long-EZ aircraft he was piloting crashed just off the coast of California at Pacific Grove, shortly after taking off from the Monterey Peninsula Airport. Source
  
  
• Thurman Lee Munson (June 7, 1947 – August 2, 1979) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played with the New York Yankees from 1969 to 1979. Munson was killed at age 32 while trying to land his personal airplane during a test fligh. Thurman is one of three Yankees who died in aviation accidents, including pitchers Jim Hardin in 1991 and Cory Lidle in 2006. Source
  
  
• Lynyrd Skynyrd was an American Southern rock band that would be later inducted into the Rock and Roll of fame in 2006. Their plane crashed October 20, 1977 due to low-fuel killing 6 including the lead vocalist, guitarist, and road manager. Source
  
  
• Rocky Marciano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969), born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was the heavyweight champion of the world from 1952 to 1956. In August 31, 1969, on the eve of his 46th birthday, Marciano died when the small private plane crashed in bad weather with an unqualified pilot. Source
  
  
• Otis Redding is best known for his hit, “Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay,” which was released after his death. Redding had recorded the song just three days earlier. Him and and four members of his band were killed when their Beechcraft H18 plane crashed during a fog. Source
  
  
• Buddy Holly (Holley), the Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson) , and Ritchie Valens all Rock and Roll Hall of famers died on February 2, 1959 when their Beechcraft Bonanza crashed during a winter storm "The day the music died". Source
  

Other interesting incidents:
Travis Barker, Adam Goldstein (DJ AM) Four people died but Travis Barker and Adam Goldstein survived when their private plane crashed off a runway on September 20, 2008. Travis Barker was best known as being former guitartist for the rock band Blink 182.

Barak Obama was a passenger in private plane on January 12, 2008 that clipped another airplane on the ground source

Patrick Swayze survived a emergency landing on June 1, 2001 Source

Sandra Bullok Survived a crash landing on Decmeber 20, 2000. Source