The aviation industry is facing increased scrutiny following a series of recent crashes and close calls in the United States. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have launched investigations to uncover the causes of these incidents and to implement measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future. The spotlight is particularly on smaller aircraft, such as the single-engine Cessna that crashed in Alaska last Thursday, resulting in the tragic loss of ten lives, including the pilot.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's data indicates that crashes are more frequent among smaller planes. The Alaska crash is not an isolated incident; a medical transportation plane crashed in Philadelphia on January 31, killing six people onboard and another individual on the ground. While these incidents raise concerns, it is noteworthy that there hasn't been a deadly crash involving a U.S. airliner since February 2009.
In a separate incident, a midair collision near Washington claimed 67 lives, marking the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. since November 12, 2001. President Donald Trump attributed this collision to an "obsolete" air traffic control system and pledged to upgrade it. Despite these incidents, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has reassured the public about the safety of air travel compared to other modes of transportation.
"I feel really good about where we’re at and where we’re going and the plans we have in place to make sure we even make the system safer and more efficient than it is today," said Sean Duffy.
According to the National Safety Council, Americans have a 1-in-93 chance of dying in a motor vehicle crash, while deaths on airplanes are so rare that calculating odds becomes challenging. This underscores air travel's relative safety, despite recent events.
The two fatal crashes involving Boeing's 737 Max jetliner in 2018 and 2019 remain fresh in public memory. Just last January, a door plug blew off a 737 Max during flight, raising further questions about the aircraft's safety. This week, a Japan Airlines plane clipped a parked Delta plane while taxiing at Seattle airport, and a United Airlines plane caught fire during takeoff at Houston airport due to an engine problem.
The aviation industry's commitment to safety remains steadfast as investigations continue. The NTSB and FAA aim to identify patterns and root causes that contribute to these accidents. By understanding these factors, they strive to enhance aviation safety through targeted interventions and policy improvements.
