Safety is always at the heart of aircraft groundings. While it is rare, it has occurred a few times, so let’s look at some notable groundings throughout commercial aviation history.

Boeing 737 MAX (March 2019 - December 2020)

Without a doubt, one of the most famous aviation industry headlines was the worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX. Although several airlines had already stopped operating the type, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) ordered the grounding of the 737 MAX on March 13, 2019, following two fatal crashes.

Photo: LLBG via Wikimedia Commons

The first incident came on October 29, 2018, when a scheduled Lion Air flight from Jakarta plunged into the Java Sea 13 minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 passengers and crew. About ten weeks after, on March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX, flying from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, crashed six minutes after takeoff, killing 157 passengers and crew.

The accidents were caused by design flaws with the new Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), designed to assist the crews familiar with the previous generation 737s. However, sensor failures caused MCAS to malfunction, causing uncontrollable maneuvers and downing the narrowbodies in both cases.

Photo: Aka The Beav/Altair78 via Wikimedia Commons

The FAA did not ground the MAX until March 13 after receiving evidence of the crashes being linked. By then, over 50 other regulators had already grounded the type, and in less than a week, all 387 MAXs in service were grounded. After being cleared to fly by the FAA, the aircraft returned to service with GOL on December 9, 2020.

Today, there are over 900 of the twinjets in service worldwide. However, the 737 MAX saga is far from over, with families of the crash victims still pressing charges and several airlines claiming compensation.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner (January 2013 - April 2013)

Another significant grounding of a jetliner was another Boeing aircraft, the 787 Dreamliner. On January 16, 2013, the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive for the grounding of all 787s following a series of electrical incidents stemming from its lithium-ion batteries.

Photo: Boeing

On multiple occasions, batteries onboard Boeing 787s owned by Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airlines (ANA), and United Airlines experienced faults, resulting in smoke and fires in the electrical compartments holding batteries. On the day the type was grounded, an ANA 787 landed at Takamatsu Airport after receiving a warning of smoke in one of the electrical compartments.

By January 17, all 50 Dreamliners operational at the time were grounded. During that period, the National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the incidents resulted from a thermal runaway in lithium-ion battery packs. After implementing a design alteration, the 787 regained its certification and returned to the skies on April 19, 2013.

Concorde (August 2000 – November 2001)

Concorde needs no further introduction. It was an icon of the sky and by far one of the most outstanding developments in aviation history, but it was plagued with controversy. Following the fatal crash of Air France Flight 4590 on July 25, 2000, suspicions were raised about the type’s airworthiness.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

Air France Flight 4590 burst into flames during takeoff, killing all 109 people onboard, including four on the ground. Investigations revealed that Concorde’s fuel tanks were highly susceptible to rupturing. According to an official BEA report, a metallic strip left on the runway cut into one of Concorde’s tires, which burst and hit the fuel tank, causing a fire and the crash of the supersonic jet.

Although this was the aircraft’s only fatal incident, it was enough for Air France and British Airways to ground it. After undergoing safety modifications, the jet returned to commercial service in November 2001 with a flight between London and New York. Its last commercial flight was on October 23, 2003, and many examples now sit in museums as iconic pieces of history.

McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (June 1979 – July 1979)

The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 was one of the most popular passenger aircraft of its era. However, it was also involved in its fair share of deadly accidents. On May 25, 1979, the American Airlines crash became the most fatal aircraft accident in US history.

American Airlines Flight 191 was operated by a DC-10, and shortly after takeoff, the left engine separated from the wing, ripping off a large section of the wing’s leading edge. The aircraft then veered left and crashed, killing 273 people in total. The unusual nature of this incident caused the type to be grounded worldwide.

At first, investigators believed an inherent weakness in the engine mount was responsible for the accident, but it was later revealed to have resulted from corner-cutting in the maintenance process. The type was only grounded for 37 days.

Which do you think was the most significant aircraft grounding in aviation history? Please let us know in the comments!