Aircraft crash videos

This video of a ground test shows what happens when a blade departs a spinning jet engine. Aviation regulation requires that the blade is contained within the engine, thus avoiding the blade to be thrown through the plane fuselage killing passengers or damaging the plane’s vital functions.

This J85 jet engine is being run in a test rig, but the engine was probably not properly tied to the bench.

On January 30, 2007, the Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket carrying NSS-8 and 500 tons of fuel exploded on launch, destroying the sophisticated telecommunications satellite payload, and damaging the launch pad. Since the launch pad platform is vacated by all engineers during the automated launch process, there were no injuries.

This rocket explodes in the air a few seconds after the launch. The resulting fireball illuminates the sky.

This rocket crashes immediately after engines ignition because of a lack of thrust. This kind of accident destroys the rocket, but also damages the launch pad.

July 10th 2006 - Explosion of an Indian rocket GSLV-F02 carrying the communication satellite INSAT-4C. Things have gone wrong in the stage of separation of the booster from the launch vehicle.

Extremely rare video of a failed launch attempt of the Russian N1 Moon Rocket.

On June 4th, 1996, Ariane 5 exploded at an altitude of 4000 meters (13 000 feet), while it was performing its first flight.
The cause of the failure is the total loss of guidance and altitude data 37 seconds after the ignition sequence of the main engine (30 seconds after lift-off). This loss of data is due to errors during the specification and design of the inertial reference system.
Nozzles received the order of an important correction of the trajectory. Therefore, the rocket turned violently and disintegrated because of the high aerodynamic loads. Self destruction has been activated immediately after the beginning of the disintegration.

On February 1st, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during its re-entry into the atmosphere. The seven astronauts were killed.
82 seconds after the launch of shuttle (STS-107), a sizable piece of foam struck the leading edge of Columbia’s left wing, at a speed between 650 and 950 km/h, making a hole in the protective tiles made of reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC), close to the landing gear area.
During the re-entry into the atmosphere, plasma at 1500 °C penetrated through this hole in the left wing protective shield, and progressively destroyed the inner part of the wing. The crew lost the control of the shuttle. A few second later, the vehicle disintegrated.

On January 28th, 1986, the Challenger shuttle (STS-51) exploded 73 seconds after lift-off.
A pressure seal in the aft field joint of the right Solid Rocket Booster failed during the shuttle blast off. This created a hot gases leak that rapidly turned into a flame, pulling away the lower strut linking the Booster and the External Tank, permitting the Booster to rotate around the upper attachment strut and making it collided with the external tank filled with 600 tonnes of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. This resulted into the shuttle explosion.
The accident was fatal for the seven astronauts. The NASA does not know whether they were alive and conscious during the cabin fall (which lasted 2 minutes and 45 seconds).

Explosion of a rocket launched from Cap Canaveral (Florida).