Pan Am 103, the 9/11 crashes, and the Chechen attacks in 2004 seem to be the total of successful aviation bombings. I have to believe that the list of unsuccessful plots must be huge. Are there any successes I haven't listed? Is there a list of aborted missions anywhere? I'm just amazed that this global conspiracy has failed so completely.

wiki lists quite a number of bombings, explosions and hijackings causing loss of aircraft.

edit: I found this also, quite interesting.

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air_po...appendix_b.pdf

AI 183 - Kanishka Bombings. Largest casualties in an aviation related attack before 9/11

You don't specify a timeframe but yes, there are many, many more although not all terrorism per se:
http://aviation-safety.net/database/....php?Event=SEB

interesting list. hmmm, quite a litany of

weapons smuggled onto aircraft with complicity of ground crews

bombs in baggage compartments

surface to air missiles.


Nope, don't see any incidents of 90 yr old grandmothers in wheelchairs. No 13 year old girls either.

So what is that list supposed to prove?

So the theory that all hijackings previously were for the purpose of negotiations is really ignorant of history. Some were, many weren't. But I'm wondering if the passengers on 9/11 knew any of this history. Did they get blinded by things like the Entebbe raid? Long before the 9/11 conspiracy occurred, planes were blown up in the air by Muslims (and Sikhs too, I think)

I think that you have missed entire decades of history, including attacks on the ground in airports around the world.

AND you missed (as do many Americans) the single largest loss of life in an airplane attack prior to 9/11, and the largest mass murder of Canadians in history. It is an insult to those people and their family and friends that they are completely overlooked by millions who go on about how 9/11 changed everything.

You are absolutely correct. And funny how we didn't go down the route of initiating ridiculous security protocols at airports, at least not as a result of the Air India bombing.

Unfortunately, our current government love kissing american *ss and "fears" economical impact so is now following the US insanity (to a certain degree). It infuriates me.

Ironically, OP made my point for me. I often use that example here and used to use it on a leisure travel board and it was astounding how many Americans have no idea about that reference. To paraphrase someone here (I cannot find the original quote ) that incident involved a lot of brown people flying from some country somewhere north of the US to some other insignificant country, and oh yes, some other non-American somewhere on the ground in Asia. (To be clear, that poster didn't feel that way, but was trying to explain why it was not on the US conciousness when it comes to airline safety)

I find it very disturbing that such a large event went largely unnoticed in the US. Then again, I equate it to the media coverage in the US of Somali pirates. When there was Americans captured, Hala Gorani actually made the comment on CNN International that Somali pirates had been launching attacks for years, but only now that an American was involved did it reach the American media. (It was quite the snide little comment and I do wonder if she was disciplined for saying what many were thinking at the time)

As subsequent posters have shown, the incidents listed in the first post were absolutely not the only 'successes', but unfortunately I believe that OP is not alone in thinking that way.

Absolutely, and I do wish Americans would shut up about 9/11 - they had already overblown it and their response within a few hours of the event. No country in history has made such a spectacle of themselves by outspending, out-stripping-rights, out-murdering and out-preaching pursuant to a single minor event, and I do hope the next time an event such as this occurs that a more pragmatic post-incident approach is adhered to, similar to that taken by other countries.

Personally, I think the way to approach such tragedies is to not make a Hollywood production out of them. Perform the clean up, continue life in a resilient manner and work behind the scenes to attempt to close up any security lapses, if possible without siphoning away the rights of the people. Above all, understand that the deaths of citizens as it relates to the actions of those known as international terrorists (plurist reactionaries is a better term I suppose) is going to happen if one's government is engaged in or massively supportive of the mass murder of people in other countries in the world. It is unfortunately an element of Karma and there is nothing you will ever be able to do prevent it occurring, so live life, enjoy every moment and realize that the best form of security has nothing to do with checkpoints and people in silly blue uniforms playing with your wotsists. @:-)@:-)@:-) (if I do say so myself)

It also involved travelers from an intermediate country and airport that many americans are familiar with.

TSA isn't there because of ground attacks. They are clearing people to FLY. So I'm not particularly concerned about every single incident that ever happened that was remotely connected with aviation. The argument is that security must prevent hijacking of planes for the purpose of crashing them. Out of that whole long laundry list, there were very few that directly pertain to 9/11.

Actually, I am aware of that bombing because I am an American who reads Canadian newspapers. In the last decade, Canada has been the destination of four trips I've made. And the next trip will probably be across the width of Canada.

But again, is TSA looking for the people who caused that plane disaster? Not that I've understood. I don't think TSA is focused that way, at all. Canada's security and India's security surely WILL focus on what killed their nationals and well should.

Actually weren't there TWO bombings? And the only conviction from the 20 year prosecution was Inderjet Singh Reyat, who I don't think is a jihader.

Yes, there were two attempts on that day.

And yet you didn't include it in your initial post.


And again, you make my point for me. You are an American, and you are aware of it because you read Canadian newspapers? It was the single greatest loss of life in an airplane bombing prior to 9/11, and one would think that Americans would be aware of it because it was covered by the American media.

I suspect that Lockerbie would not be remembered in the US by many if it didn't involve Americans on a US carrier. Many of us think of it and refer to it as 'Lockerbie' in reference to the people who died on the ground.

I disagree - many countries are not so inward looking as the US, and do consider worldwide events.

The reality is that you created a list of 'successful' bombings, and your list overlooked many events, including one of the most catastrophic in history. You are not alone in overlooking this event, but the reality is that your original post did not refer to it at all. And that is what I am trying to point out - for so many, it seems that 9/11 'changed everything' and is the focus of airline security.

I think the Tokyo attack was on a plane that was being repositioned. And it was actually the basis of the one conviction. I don't know that the Air India attack ever led to a conviction.