An in-flight breakup is a catastrophic failure of an aircraft structure that causes it to break apart in mid-air. This can result in the death of all occupants, and/or the destruction of the aircraft. In-flight breakups are rare but devastating events that can be caused by a variety of factors.
Examples include:
- Faults in the design or manufacturing creating weak points or stress concentrations in the structure
- Constant use and repeated loading and unloading cycles on the aircraft, leading to fatigue cracking
- Pilot error[1] or weather conditions causing the aircraft to experience more extreme conditions than those it was designed to tolerate
- Sabotage or terrorism damaging critical systems or components