Photo // USA Today
Delta passengers evacuate their plane after a failed landing in Toronto on Feb. 17.
Despite increased publicity of accidents, data suggest flying is still safe
By: Cienna King
Photographer & Staff-Writer
Lately, there have been numerous headlines about air disasters occuring in our country. These aircraft crashes have been getting a lot of coverage, and while they do deserve attention, it begs the question: are aircraft disasters increasing, or is the media just giving them more attention? Let’s find out.
As of Feb. 17, a total of 87 aircraft accidents have been reported in the United States, with 62 happening in January and 25 in February, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Out of the 87 accidents, 13 have been fatal, with 10 in January and three in February.
Jan. 29 marked the first fatal commercial plane crash in the U.S. for 15 years, occuring in Washington and resulting in 67 casualties when a Black Hawk military helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight. Along with this crash, there have been three other major crashes so far this year. A medical jet crashed and killed seven people on Jan. 31, on Feb. 6 10 people were killed in a small plane crash in Alaska and one person was killed with four more injured when two private jets collided on Feb. 10 in Arizona.
On paper these numbers look alarming, but how do they compare to previous years? According to the National Transportation Safety Board, in January of 2023 there were 60 non-fatal and 13 fatal accidents. February of the same year had 60 non-fatal and six fatal accidents.
According to Greenville News, January 2024 saw 61 non-fatal and 19 fatal accidents, with February 2024 having 81 non-fatal accidents and 12 fatal accidents. When we compare this data to the accidents in the past two months, the numbers don’t stand out as much anymore.
The combination of heightened media coverage for aviation accidents and the Trump administration’s recent cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration has left many with the sense that the two are related. About 400 of the FAA’s over 40,000 employees, including aviation assistance, maintenance mechanics and information specialists, have been dismissed so far. Officials in the Trump administration have stated that no safety-critical employees were fired.
It’s important to note that the vast majority of these accidents are “general aviation” accidents, which means they most often involve small planes, rather than the commercial airliners everyday travelers are likely to fly in. Between 2002 and 2022, only 27% of aviation injuries were commercial.
You might wonder, or see others asking: is flying still safe? Statistically speaking, traveling by aircraft is one of the safest forms of transportation. To put it in perspective, as of 2022, there were roughly 0.007 injuries in aircrafts per 100 million miles, whereas injuries involving cars and trucks resulted in 42 injuries per 100 million miles.
If recent headlines have left you wondering if you should cancel your flights, don’t unpack your bags quite yet. You just might be traveling in the safest form of transportation possible.
