Aircraft nowadays a popular means of transportation. Not only that, it is also said to be the safest means of transportation. And of course they are also of great use to the military. But some aircraft models in history turned out to be a single disaster. We’ll show you the 40 worst designs here.
1. The Fisher P-75 Eagle
The Fisher P-75 Eagle was supposed to be a symbol of victory, with the number 75 referring to a French 75-mm cannon that decided World War I. The “eagle” represented the United States. It was mixed together from already existing aircraft, but the performance was far below the standard of the other planes.
2. The Douglas DC-10
The Douglas DC-10 was a real tragedy. Its tenure resulted in fifty-five crashes and numerous fatalities. In 1972, the doors suddenly opened during a flight. In 1974, this mishap was repeated. 1979, a wing was lost during an unsuccessful takeoff. Fortunately, this aircraft was designed from the ground up to make it safer.
3. The Bell FM-1 Airacuda
The Bell FM-1 Airacuda was manufactured towards the end of the 30s. This aircraft was supposed to be a huge success due to its revolutionary modeling and qualities. However, the overheating of the Airacuda the poor escape route from the gunner position was a major problem. Also, the entire cabin was full of smoke when someone used the guns.
4. The Vought F7U Cutlass
The Cutlass was constructed with an innovative tail and wing design. However, it could not stay in the air for long, nor could it reach standard flight altitudes. But even worse, the plane often failed to make it beyond the runway. More or less a quarter of the takeoff attempts ended up in the ditch.
5. The Convair NB-36
The Convair NB-36 was absolutely dangerous: instead of standard fuel engines, it was powered by a nuclear reactor. Every time this plane took off and took off, it had to be followed by another chase plane for supervision. This didn’t happen fifty times before someone decided that this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
6. The Lockheed Martin VH-71
This aircraft at least had potential. Augusta Westland and Lockheed Martin planned to build this aircraft in 2002 in America. The Marine Corps was so excited about it that they even wanted to have the president transported on it. In the end, however, it was not feasible because it was going to cost a staggering $11.2 billion.
7. The Wright Flyer
The Wright Flyer by the Wright brothers was the first powered machine to achieve sustained flight with a pilot. However, it could only be piloted for less than a minute, and it was not easy to control either. The Wright Flyer took off on 17th December 1903 with four flight attempts before it was retired.
8. The Aerodrome
At the turn of the century, scientist Samuel Pierpont tinkered with an airplane that could fly more than a mile. The Aerodrome innovated the world of aviation by achieving an impressive power-to-weight ratio in addition to a 52 horsepower radial engine. However, that didn’t help either, as it crashed twice into the Potomac River.
9. The Lockheed XFV-1 Salmon
Thanks to a huge budget, it was possible for the American army to realize very new ideas and concepts in the middle of the 20th century. The special thing about the Salmon was that it could be made to take off vertically as well as land vertically. However, this led to the engine collapsing and the plane being ruined.
10. The Bristol 18
The problem with the Bristol 188 was that it was completely outside contemporary standards. It was a replica by the British of the Bell X-1 and suffered from design flaws. The fuel tank leaked during flight and the plane could not even fly – except at a speed of 300 mph.
11. The PZL M-15 Belphegor
The Belphegor was the first biplane built for agriculture in 1972. But in the end it brought no benefit. It turned out that the price of kerosene was simply too high and the agricultural profits were no longer profitable. The idea of this airplane was certainly not bad, but the realization was a problem.
12. The Rockwell XFV-12
Aircraft development was certainly a major challenge in its early days. However, with technology in the 1970s, one would expect aircraft design to have reached a higher stage. The Rockwell XFV-12, however, proves otherwise here. To be sure, it showed itself with a creative design. But fortunately, it never left the ground.
13. The Dassault Balzac V
France also once relied on a vertical takeoff aircraft, stealing the idea from the Mirage III. The first test flight of the Dassault Balzac V killed two young pilots. But the French did not give up and unfortunately the next attempt crashed as well. The pilots were able to use the ejection seat before it was too late.
14. The Baade 152
The Baade 152 from Germany was equipped with features of a bomber aircraft. However, the 152’s test run ended in a tragic disaster. On that day, all on board perished. The aircraft was scrapped in 1961. And that was probably the best. It was the only aircraft manufactured in the GDR.
15. The McDonnell XF-85 Goblin
The McDonnell XF-85 Goblin was a “parasite fighter.” It was intended to be docked to a larger aircraft and deployed in the event of an attack on its host aircraft. Such a small aircraft, however, was significantly inferior to normal fighter jets. Thus, the parasite fighter line was quickly discontinued.
16. The Noviplano
The Noviplano was designed by Italian engineer Caproni in the 1920s. It was actually intended to carry a hundred passengers from Italy to America, but in the end it did not make it out of Italy. This colossus was equipped with almost ten engines and wings, so it was probably doomed from the start.
17. The Devil’s Hoverbike
Hoverboards were invented in the 1950s. This is a single-engine helicopter aircraft that allowed soldiers to easily glide behind enemy lines. The idea is cool, of course, but there came a problem: a small misstep of the pilot caused him to be cut up by the large helicopter blades.
18. The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet
The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet was truly fearsome with its rocket booster and speed. However, with its leaking fuel tank, the aircraft could only hold fuel for three minutes of flight. However, the flaw in the fuel tank design doomed the Comet and cost many pilots their lives.
19. The Blackburn Botha
The Blackburn Botha suffered a series of failures throughout World War II. The aircraft was high maintenance with its built-in torpedoes and twin-engine system. It required four pilots to operate it properly. This overload ultimately led to numerous crashes. You can probably guess that this model was not further used.
20. The MiG-23
The MiG-23 (Mikoyan-Gurevich-23) was a Soviet fighter aircraft. Its innovative feature was the “look-down/shoot-down” radar system. However, this model had such a small cockpit that it compromised the pilot’s vision. After the Cold War, the Mig-23 was relegated to the aircraft graveyard. However, the 21, its predecessor, can still be seen in the sky today.
21. The Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia
The Brasilia’s problem was a wobbly turboprop engine that fell apart mid-air, killing fourteen people. Despite this accident, and despite being considered one of the biggest mistakes in the history of passenger airlines, the Brasilia is still in service as a cargo plane, which is really hard to believe.
22. The Ilyushin II-62
The Ilyushin II-62 was still flown with hand controls and there was no power assistance to move the control surfaces. If ice ever got stuck in a hinge, it could only be released by muscle power. In addition, there were failed thrust reversers and exploded engines, which damaged neighboring engines.
23. The B. E. 9
The B. E. 9 was built during the First World War. This plane became a deadly aircraft. However, not only for the enemy, but also for the pilots, who were totally exposed to enemy fire. Moreover, the pilots were right next to the propellers, which could easily dismember them.
24. The Brewster Buffalo
The Brewster was a bulky airplane, but nevertheless a much-used international monoplane, and the first of its kind! During World War II, the Brewster Buffalo was used all over the world. After the war ended, its cumbersome and outdated maneuverability capabilities became untenable. It was later nicknamed the “Flying Coffin.”
25. The Yak-42
Military personnel could hardly believe that such a rickety aircraft as the Yak-42 was still in service in 2013. Just trying to get on the plane was difficult. If a pilot made it into a seat, it could suddenly fold forward. The rear stairs rattled incessantly during the flight. All in all, a very poorly constructed airplane.
26. The Starship
The Starship was initially considered stunning, but quickly turned out to be strange. The carbon composite design and turboprop engines made this aircraft appear to have a perfect streamline. Yet it was neither sluggish nor uncontrollable. A total of 53 Starships were offered for sale by the end of the 1980s. However, buyers were hard to find.
27. The Hindenburg
Everyone is probably familiar with the Hindenburg. Its catastrophic end is one of the most memorable accidents in history. Upon landing in New Jersey, the airship suddenly burst into flames and crashed before the eyes of a huge crowd, including cameramen. The fire was sparked by an electrostatic discharge that burned the zeppelin’s gas.
28. The Saab 340
The Saab 340 is still in service today, yet there are many former passengers who report a very painful and terrible noise during the flight. The engine is just incredibly loud and deafening. You certainly can’t stand it for long in this plane, unless you take earplugs for the flight.
29. The Fairey Battle
In the 1930s, the British Royal Air Force relied on the Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine aircraft. However, the Fairey Battle was then too cumbersome and sluggish to be of any use to the military. In a span of just seven days of service, about a hundred Fairey Battles were shot down by enemies. The “Big Boy” was retired in 1950.
30. The Tupolev TU-144
The Russian Tupolev TU-144 stood out with its space-age design, but was intended for commercial use. The aircraft could reach speeds of 1,200 mph in a short time, but it was unpredictable and very prone to accidents. Potential passengers therefore tended to give the turbojet a wide berth. In addition, the TU-144 was unpleasantly noisy.
31. The Heinkel He-162
The Heinkel He-162 broke records for model building and production time (90 days). The reason: it was built from wooden parts glued together and flown by teenagers. This model required a delicate touch. But you can imagine what happened when the glue came loose due to weather conditions. Fortunately, the plane was only in service for four months.
32. The Fairey Albacore
If you wonder whether the Albacore was a successful aircraft, you need only read the opinions of British pilots. Indeed, they would have much preferred to climb the Albacore’s predecessor, the Swordfish. In fact, World War II pilots were so afraid to climb into the Albacore’s cockpit that the plane quickly found a place in the aircraft frieze yard.
33. The ATR 72
According to Alex Murel, the ATR 82 had an ancient design. He saw that their entire collection was beginning to crumble. Murel understood that turboprops were suitable for special operations, but this aircraft suffered from outdated technology. Out of a total of 508 models, 11 crashed, killing nearly 200 people.
34. The Douglas TBD Devastator
There were certainly less successful aircraft in the history of design that had passable flaws. The Douglas TBD Devastator was clearly not one of them. Its technical requirements for torpedo firing were so crazy (absolute straight flight at a speed of 115 mph) that it quickly became easy prey for enemies.
35. The MD-80
It is possible for an aircraft to have crashed several times, cost hundreds of lives, and still be in service. The MD-80 is such an example. The poorly designed aircraft is sluggish, impractical and absolutely cramped. But these shortcomings have not stopped American Airlines or Delta from continuing to use this aircraft.
36. The LWS-6 Zubr
The strange, barn-like appearance of the LWS-6 Zubr just perfectly matches its terrible performance. The aircraft was created shortly before the start of World War II and was intended for training purposes. A few of these monstrosities were actually seized by Russian soldiers after the conquest of Poland by the Eastern Bloc.
37. The Bombardier Dash 8
The Bombardier Dash 8 is another passenger aircraft, but experts say it would be better scrapped. When the wind hits the wobbly plane from the side, the aircraft parts rattle so much that passengers are downright frightened. It also has such a low weight capacity that passengers usually have to transfer their luggage to other planes.
38. The Hiller VZ-1
The design of the Hiller VZ-1 probably didn’t even look like a good idea on paper, and certainly not during the test flight. The idea was this: All gears should be removed and allow the pilot to control this aircraft with his body weight. The pilots were certainly grateful that this thing only reached a top speed of 16 mph.
39. XB 15
The U.S. Air Force’s XB 15 was the largest aircraft in the country before the Spruce Goose was built. The size of this aircraft was so over designed that there were no engines that could make the aircraft fly faster than 200 mph. It was not developed further and was used only as a cargo plane during World War II.
40. The Flying Dorito
The Flying Dorito was created in the 1980s and looked really futuristic. However, the radar system was flawed. And this aircraft was cost prohibitive. Fortunately, the Department of Defense halted production in 1991 when it became apparent that the estimated production cost would be a staggering nearly165 million dollars.
