A World of Plane Crashes

If you are already afraid of flying then you might want to give CrashAtlas a miss. This interactive map of aircraft accidents is unlikely to do much for your aerophobia. On the other hand, if you've ever wondered whether a plane has crashed near your home, then CrashAtlas may prove to be a fascinating, if slightly macabre, diversion.

CrashAtlas is a global interactive map dedicated to documenting the history of aviation accidents and incidents around the world. The map plots thousands of crash locations, allowing you to explore where aviation accidents have occurred geographically. 

The map provides an intriguing overview of the distribution of aviation accidents across the globe. Zooming into areas with busy air traffic quickly reveals clusters of incidents around major airports and along historic flight corridors. Unfortunately, most of CrashAtlas's more useful features sit behind a paywall. Subscribers can search by aircraft type, airline, operator, location or date, examine detailed accident records, view archival photographs and explore the safety histories of individual aircraft types. 

There is a seven-day free trial if you want to preview the features available to paid subscribers. Whether there are enough people willing to pay a recurring subscription for access to historical crash data is another question. For casual visitors, CrashAtlas is an engaging curiosity - a map that invites you to explore the geography of aviation history. For anyone wanting to use it as a serious research tool, a subscription quickly become unavoidable.