7 Airplane Crashes Thwarted by Awesome Pilots

Even though many are terrified of flying, statistics prove that traveling by air is still the safest way to get from A to B (albeit maybe not the most environmentally friendly). This being said, there can still terrifying events (besides the food, cramped washrooms and smelly strangers…) that happen from time to time. Thankfully, in many of these situations, heroes emerge in the form of skilled pilots who save the day. Read on to learn about some of these heroic flying masters.

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TransAsia Airways ATR 72-600, Taiwan

While this plane did crash into the Keelung river in Taipei, the pilots commanding the craft showed considerable skill in their ability to maneuver the plane away from local high rise buildings and populated areas after the engine burst into flames shortly after takeoff. Unfortunately, 31 of the 53 crew and passengers were killed, but likely many more would have died had the pilots not had the ability to steer the plane as expertly as they did.