What Do Dreams of a Plane Crash Mean?

The Meaning Behind Plane Crash Dreams

Have you ever experienced a vivid dream of a plane crash? If so, it’s likely to be one that you won’t easily forget. Dreams of airplanes are closely linked in meaning to dreams of flying or birds. All symbolise liberation, transcending daily life or soaring above situations and the sensation of release.

However, these dreams can sometimes turn into an unnerving nightmare. Flying in an airplane or even being a pilot may be one of your favourite dreams, but if it ended with the plane crashing, it could leave a lasting impression. This is the kind of dream that can haunt your mind for a long time, raising questions about its meaning to your waking life.

Airplanes in dreams usually mean that you’re heading towards success but if something went wrong in your dreams then you may be starting to drift away from the right path. According to Aunty Flo, having an airplane in your dream represents a spiritual journey, “In life, we have been shaken over the awful events of 9/11 and it is only natural that at times we have a “fear” type dream”.

In this article we’ll delve into all of the different variations of these dreams and what they could mean to your waking life.

The dream:

Walking your dog around a local woodland, you’re both having fun playing fetch the stick when you reach a clearing. Looking up, you smile as you see the sun has come out. The powder blue sky is crisscrossed with white fluffy vapour trails stretching away towards the horizon.

But as you throw the stick again, a loud bang up above causes you to peer at the sky. You instantly spot a small propeller-engine airplane with smoke billowing behind it dropping lower and lower out of the blue – and it’s heading straight at you!

Spinning around and running for your lives back into the woods, the sound of the engine gets closer and louder. But just as the plane is about to crash down your eyes open and you wake up with a start. It was just a dream. But what could it all mean?

The meaning behind a plane crash dream

Dreams about plane crashes are symbolic of your emotions during your waking life. If you dream about a plane crash it’s likely to represent some form of inner turmoil, according to Alo Dream. These dreams are said to represent the battles going on between our conscious and unconscious mind. Your subconscious may be urging you to go one way but your mind may want you to go another, and the emotional toll is represented by the crash.

Dreams of airplanes hold a similar meaning to other dreams of flying or birds, according to the Daily Mail. They can all represent notions of liberation, the ability to transcend daily life or rise above situations and the sensation of release from some kind of entrapment – whether in a relationship or work.

Meaning(s) of the dream:

There are many different kinds of dreams involving plane crashes, from dreaming of being on the flight, flying the plane and even surviving a plane crash. The following descriptions cover the most common variations.

Dreaming of a plane crash

According to Millers Guild, aircraft crashes in your dreams can highlight unforeseen events that might give rise to an outburst of strong emotions. As such, the turbulence may refer to a family member, parent, or romantic partner. Perhaps you or someone close is experiencing strong emotions that need controlling?

Having a plane crashing nightmare may be warning you to face the issue head-on before the relationship falls apart.

On the other hand, dreaming about a plane crash may also encourage you to become more persistent when dealing with life’s challenges. Despite the ups and downs of the rollercoaster of life, it can mean that you’ll succeed in becoming stronger than ever before.

Dreaming about causing a plane crash

You might be surprised to learn that if you are in charge of a plane which comes crashing down from the sky of your dreams, you should consider it a good signal. That’s because these visions usually predict a happy love life or an unexpected encounter, say Millers Guild. In fact, you may meet your future spouse, and if you’re married, a baby may be on the way.

Related: What do flying dreams mean?

Dreaming about witnessing a plane crash

Watching a plane crash take place in a dream can be a warning of danger on the horizon, according to The List. To sum up, watching a plane crash can reveal the fact that you’re struggling to finish what you started, or that the schemes that you set in motion aren’t going to plan. Again, you should be reassured to know that dreams involving your loved ones being in a plane crash simply point to the fact that you don’t want to lose them and nothing more than that.

Dreaming about surviving a plane crash

The experts advise taking this dream to be a positive sign highlighting your knowledge and ability to overcome challenging situations. As such, the best response is to interpret the dream as a starting point for a fruitful period ahead. According to Millers Guild, surviving a plane crash can mean you have abandoned a toxic relationship. Not only this but you can expect your life to undergo a remarkable transformation, with a strong chance of meeting somebody new.

Answering the dream:

Dreams of airplanes can turn into vivid nightmares and leave long-lasting impressions on our psyches. However, you should rest assured that such horrendous nightmares aren’t necessarily a sign of dark times ahead. They can simply represent your inner desires or fears.

Keep in mind that airplane crash nightmares can symbolise your ability to reach success despite difficult challenges. Typically, planes represent your life journey, fresh starts, and goals you intend to achieve. Dreaming of a plane crash can point to inner turmoil, but it’s still important to understand that the appearance of an airplane in a dream can also signify the beginning of new encounters or chapters in your life.

Indeed, according to Angel Number, careering violently toward the earth in an airplane doesn’t mean you need to re-evaluate your entire life’s purpose! In fact, if you weren’t scared as the plane crashed down, the dream could be demonstrating that your subconscious feels as though you’re on the right path and will soon reach a new level of success.

Notable appearances in popular culture:

It’s reassuring to know that airplane crashes are extremely rare as otherwise you might well be put off flying forever by watching some of the many films and television dramas that depict them.

On TV, these include the ‘Beckindale Air Disaster‘, a storyline of the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Airing in December 1993, the episode gave the show its highest ever viewing figures of 18 million and helped the soap transform from a minor daytime rural drama into one of the biggest shows in the UK.

In the cinema, one of the most realistic depictions of an air disaster can be seen in Sully: Miracle on the Hudson, the Clint Eastwood-directed drama in which Tom Hanks plays hero pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. The film follows Sullenberger’s January, 2009 emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on New York‘s Hudson River, in which all 155 passengers and crew survived, with most ‘miraculously’ suffering only minor injuries.

However, of all the depictions of air disasters on film, perhaps the most culturally significant – surprisingly considering the subject – is a comedy. Airplane! the 1980 parody featuring Leslie Nielsen spoofs the disaster film genre, particularly Zero Hour! Airplane! has been judged the second-greatest comedy of all time, behind Monty Python’s Life of Brian.

Just like dreaming of a plane crash, being chased in your dreams has a meaning to your waking life. For more, take a look at what being chased in your dream means, or what dreaming about running late means.