8 airplanes have been shot down by missiles since year 2000

The Embraer ERJ-190 operated by Azerbaijan Airlines took off from Baku, Azerbaijan, for a passenger flight to Grozny, Russia. 62 passengers and 5 crew members were onboard. The aircraft had diverted from Grozny to Aktau, Kazakhstan, due to low visibility and attempted an emergency landing at Aktau's airport about one hour after the aborted approach to Grozny. The aircraft was turning onto final approach when it impacted ground. The plane burst into flames. 38 occupants were killed, and 29 occupants survived.

The Embraer EMB-120 operated by East African Express Airways took off from Mogadishu, the capital and most populous city of Somalia, for a charter freight flight. It made an intermediate stop in Baidoa, Somalia, and took off again to Berdale, Somalia. 3 passengers and 3 crewmembers were onboard. The plane was shot down while on approach to its final destination. The Embraer subsequently crashed and burst into flames. All 6 occupants were killed.

The Boeing 737-800, operated by UIA Ukraine International Airlines, took off from Tehran, Iran, for a passenger flight to Kiev, Ukraine. 167 passengers and 9 crewmembers were onboard. The plane crashed minutes after takeoff. Radar contact was lost with the aircraft while it was climbing through 8000 feet, about 12NM (22 km) northwest of the Tehran airport. The crash site has been rapidly located: the Boeing 737 has been completely destroyed. All 176 people onboard have been killed. It has been confirmed on January 11th that the plane has been shot down by a missile.

The Boeing 777-200 operated by Malaysia Airlines took off from Amsterdam, Netherlands, for a passenger flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 283 passengers and 15 crewmembers were onboard. The plane disappeared from radar screens while it was en-route at FL330 about 50 NM northwest of Donetsk, Ukraine. The burning wreckage has been located near the Ukrainian/Russian border. All 298 people onboard were killed.

The Ilyushin IL-76 belonging to the Belarus-based Transaviaexport Airlines had delivered equipment for Ugandan peacekeepers in Mogadishu, the Somalia capital. It crashed shortly after takeoff from Mogadishu airport. All 11 people onboard were killed. The Russian-made plane was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile just after takeoff. The airplane suffered substantial damage following the missile impact and became uncontrollable. It came down in an inaccessible, wooded area in the outskirts of north Mogadishu. Witnesses said they saw the burning plane come down and heard the sound of a missile being fired shortly before the crash. Other said that one of the wings exploded in the air. When the plane hit the ground, another explosion occurred.

The aircraft was on a cargo flight from Baghdad to Bahrein. It was impacted by a surface-to-air missile shortly after takeoff from the Baghdad International Airport (Irak). The wing and wing devices are seriously damaged. All the three hydraulic circuit are lost: the moveable parts of the plane (ailerons, rudder, elevator …) are frozen. Many warnings are triggered. The aircraft is uncontrollable and fly by its own. The crew discovered that the aircraft attitude can be managed by adjusting the thrust on the engines. It allowed them to successfully return to Baghdad and landed the Airbus A300 despite the serious damage. 25 minutes after the impact, the aircraft came to a stop in the dirt off Baghdad International's main runway. All 3 crew members escaped safely the aircraft and they only sustained minor injuries. Download the video of this event here:

The aircraft exploded over the Black Sea while on a passenger flight from Tel Aviv, Israel to Novosibirsk, Russia via Bugas, Bulgaria. The pilot of a nearby aircraft reported seeing the aircraft explode at 33,000 feet, fall into the Black Sea, and explode again on impact.

UNITA rebels claim to have downed the aircraft as it approached Luena on a military flight. All 22 people onboard were killed.