30 World Leaders Who Died or Survived in Air Crashes

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the foreign minister, and other victims' bodies were found at the site of a helicopter crash on Monday, following an hours-long search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country's northwest.

The crash happens while the Middle East is still reeling from the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Raisi, under the leadership of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attacked Israel with missiles and drones in a way never seen before just last month. Raisi exacerbated tensions with the West by supplying Russia with bomb-carrying drones for Russia's war in Ukraine and armed militia groups across the region. Iran also achieved an unprecedented level of uranium enrichment, drawing it ever closer to levels suitable for use in nuclear weapons.

Iranian president helicopter crashes:

Many world leaders died, few survived in aviation accidents

Review the aviation mishaps that have claimed the lives of significant and well-known world leaders with KnowInsiders.

Top 26 World Leaders Who Died in Air Crashes

The fatalities of world leaders in aviation accidents are crucial turning points in history, profoundly impacting politics and instilling a sense of uncertainty within nations. These occurrences not only deprive nations of influential individuals but also generate situations where positions of power are left unfilled and raise uncertainties about what lies ahead.

As investigations progress, speculation proliferates and the events frequently become obscured by conspiracy theories.

Below is a compilation of the list of the global leaders who perished in aviation accidents:

1. Ebrahim Raisi (2024)

President Raisi and Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian (1964-2024) along with others who were on board the helicopter that crashed are dead, multiple Iranian news agencies confirmed.

Learn more: Who is Ebrahim Raisi (Iran Presisent): Biography, Wife, Children and Career

2. Arvid Lindman - Swedish Prime Minister (1936)

On December 9, 1936, shortly after takeoff, the Douglas DC-2 carrying Sweden's then-prime minister Arvid Lindman crashed into nearby houses in dense fog. Lindman died in the incident.

3. Paraguayan President Marshal Jose Felix Estigarribia (1940)

On Sept. 7, 1940, Paraguayan President Marshal Jose Felix Estigarribia died in a plane crash.

4. Wladyslaw Sikorski, Poland (1945)

On July 4, 1943, Polish soldier and statesman Wladyslaw Sikorski, who led Poland’s government in exile during World War II, died when his plane crashed in Gibraltar.

5. Ramon Magsaysay, Philippine President (1957)

The seventh Philippine president perished in an aircraft crash atop Mount Manunggal in Cebu. Magsaysay was well-known for his steadfast opposition to communism and commitment to democracy.

6. Interim President of Brazil, Nereu Ramos (1958)

On June 16, 1958, the then Interim President of Brazil, Nereu Ramos, died when a plane belonging to Cruzeiro Airlines crashed.

7. Barthelemy Boganda, president of the Central African Republic (1959)

On March 29, 1959, Barthelemy Boganda, president of the Central African Republic and a hero of independence, passed away after his plane crashed.

8. UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold (1961)

The plane of former UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, who was tasked with mediating peace in the Congo, crashed in modern-day Zambia on September 18, 1961. Hammarskjold was among the sixteen victims of the accident.

9. Iraqi President Abdul Salam Arif (1966)

On April 13, 1966, Iraqi President Abdul Salam Arif died in a helicopter crash. Arif came to power through a coup in February 1963.

10. Leon M’ba (1967)

The first president of Gabon died in a plane crash off the coast of Gabon.

11. Bolivian President Rene Barrientos (1969)

On April 27, 1969, Bolivian President Rene Barrientos died when his helicopter crashed in the city of Cochabamba.

12. Yugoslavian Prime Minister Dzemal Bijedic (1977)

The Learjet 25 aircraft belonging to Yugoslavian Prime Minister Dzemal Bijedic crashed into Inac Mountain close to Kresevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on January 18, 1977. In the accident, Bijedic, his spouse, and six other individuals perished.

13. Mauritanian Prime Minister Ahmed Ould Bouceif (1979)

On May 27, 1979, a plane carrying Mauritanian Prime Minister Ahmed Ould Bouceif, who was going to attend an African summit, crashed off the coast of Dakar. Bouceif died in the accident.

14. Portuguese Prime Minister Francisco Sa Carneiro (1980)

On Dec. 4, 1980, Portuguese Prime Minister Francisco Sa Carneiro and Defense Minister Adelino Amaro da Costa died when their plane crashed in the capital Lisbon just after takeoff.

15. Ecuadorian President Jaime Roldos Aguilera (1981)

On May 24, 1981, Ecuadorian President Jaime Roldos Aguilera and Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Marco Subia Martinez lost their lives when the plane they were on crashed near the Peruvian border.

16. Panamanian President Omar Torrijos (1981)

On July 31, 1981, Panamanian President Omar Torrijos died when the small plane he was flying crashed into a forest.

17. Mozambican President Samora Machel (1986)

A twin-engine aircraft carrying Mozambican President Samora Machel and a number of ministers crashed on October 19, 1986, close to the border between Mozambique and South Africa. Thirty-three people, including Machel, a few ministers, and senior Mozambican government officials, perished in the accident. The pilot was found to be at fault in the post-accident investigations.

18. Lebanese Prime Minister Rashid Karami (1987)

Lebanese Prime Minister Rashid Karami was killed on June 1, 1987, when a bomb went off in the helicopter he was riding in to Beirut. Not long after it took off, the remote-controlled bomb, which weighed about 300 grams and was positioned behind the seat where he was supposed to sit, exploded. In the accident, only Karami perished.

19. Pakistani President Zia-ul-Haq (1988)

A C-130 military plane carrying US Ambassador Arnold Lewis Raphel, Pakistani President Zia-ul-Haq, and his five generals crashed on August 17, 1988, close to Bahawalpur, some 530 kilometers south of the country's capital, Islamabad. Within the accident that claimed no lives, investigators concentrated on potential sabotage.

There is ongoing debate regarding the cause of the crash, with theories ranging from conspiracy theories to mechanical failure and sabotage.

20. Burundi’s President Cyprien Ntaryamira and Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana (1994)

On April 6, 1994, gunfire was heard close to Kigali Airport aboard a plane carrying Presidents Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi and Juvenal Habyarimana of Rwanda. The presidential palace is situated in an area where there were no survivors of the plane crash.

21. Hafez al-Assad (2000)

Syria's president perished in an aircraft accident close to Damascus. Although some speculated that foul play may have played a role in the crash, Assad's heart attack during the flight was declared to be the official cause.

22. Boris Trajkovski, Macedoni (2004)

The second president of Macedonia, Boris Trajkovski, and his delegation were on board when their plane crashed on February 26, 2004, close to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The accident claimed the lives of eight people, including Trajkovski and his advisors. After two years of investigation, an international commission tasked with looking into the plane crash declared in a report made public that "pilot error" was the cause of the crash.

23. Ibrahim Nasir (2008)

The second president of the Maldives died in a helicopter crash while on a private visit to an uninhabited island in the Maldives.

24. Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski (2010)

Lech Kaczynski, the president of Poland, and his spouse were among the 96 passengers on a Tupolev 154 aircraft that landed at Russia's Smolensk Airport on April 10, 2010, in preparation for a memorial service honoring the Katyn Massacre, which resulted in the execution of about 22,000 Poles during the Stalin era. The aircraft crashed into a forest as it was landing. Not a single person survived.

25. Bingu wa Mutharika (2012)

After his presidential convoy was rerouted due to his helicopter running into bad weather, the president of Malawi suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away from a heart attack while en route to a hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi.

26. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera (2024)

A Robinson R-66 helicopter carrying Sebastian Pinera, the former president of Chile, and his entourage crashed into Lake Ranco in the Los Rios region on February 5, 2024. The heavy rain and dense fog caused the helicopter to crash soon after takeoff. Three people succeeded in entering the lake and swimming to safety. Pinera's inability to undo his seat belt caused his death.

4 World Leaders Who Survived in Air Crashes

27. Premier Zhou Enlai of China escaped an attempted murder on April 11, 1955, aboard an Air India aircraft he had chartered for Indonesia. Zhou did not board the plane because he had abruptly changed his travel schedule. A bomb went off and the plane crashed into the South China Sea. Three passengers survived while eleven passengers perished.

28. Adnan Menderes, Turkey's ninth prime minister, was 4.5 kilometers from London's Gatwick Airport on February 17, 1959, when he went there to sign a deal between Turkey, England, and Greece regarding Cyprus. When his plane crashed, he survived. Seven people, including members of the crew and passengers, were injured in the accident, and 14 people, including Serif Arzik, the then-director general of Anadolu, died.

29. Former Jordanian Queen Aalia Toukan passed away in a Tafila, Jordan, helicopter crash on February 9, 1977. King Hussein bin Talal, Toukan's spouse, escaped the mishap. The accident claimed the life of Mohammed al-Beshir, the Jordanian Minister of Health at the time, and was caused by a strong downpour.

30. Strong winds in June 1994 caused King Charles III of England, then the Prince of Wales, to lose control of the aircraft he was piloting and it crashed. Over $1 million worth of damage was done in the incident, even though no one was hurt.

In Conclusion

You have recently recognized and felt compassion for the families and friends of world leaders who have tragically lost their lives in aircraft crashes. Certainly, we did not address every international aviation accident involving presidents and prime ministers in the earlier article.

Concerning the causes of most of the incidents mentioned earlier, there is a lack of consensus, and only a small number of individuals believe it was a "accident". Despite the numerous murder mysteries and conspiracies that have been suggested, they continue to persist.

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