Aviation and Plane Crash Statistics

In the United States, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) monitors aviation incident data and examines aviation catastrophes.

Every year, a greater number of unnecessary accidents contribute to user error and inadequate training, but there has been a decrease in private plane crashes since the 1980s. Private flights are more challenging to document due to lenient government regulation and lack of reporting, but these figures are higher for private flights. The rate of accidents per 100,000 hours reached a record high of 9.08 in 1994, but it has decreased since then. A fatal crash accounted for 1.19 out of every 100,000 flight hours, and an airplane crash accounted for 6.84 out of every 100,000 flight hours. In 2007, the National Transportation Safety Board estimated a total of nearly 24 million flight hours.

aviation crash statistics

“Statistics show that up to 80 percent of all aviation accidents can be attributed to human error.”

It is believed that pilot error accounts for 53% of aircraft accidents, with weather conditions and mechanical failures behind 11% and 21% respectively. The most dangerous times include landing and takeoff, both before and after these events. Statistics show that up to 80% of aviation accidents can be attributed to human error.

An extremely agile airplane, especially during flight, can lead to devastating unintended outcomes, which may require individuals to develop muscle memory over time. However, training is beneficial, even in optimal training scenarios, where flight crews engage in thorough simulator-based training, individuals tend to fall back into previous habitual patterns of behavior.

On average, there are 1.54 discoveries concerning staff per incident, amounting to more than 20 thousand discoveries across all incidents. The NTSB database has been documenting these incidents, encompassing over 13 thousand incidents with at least one staff-related problem, since 2008.

There are only a few examples of organizational and environmental issues, but it is important to note that there are always other factors at play when errors occur with the aircraft and the pilot.

How Secure is Air Travel?

Air travel without rigorous aviation safety training and regulations is not secure for both private and commercial passengers. The safety of the flight depends on the operator, the equipment, and the training procedures, which are designed to ensure the highest level of safety in air travel. Nevertheless, airplanes have a much lower fatality rate of 0.01 deaths per 100 million miles compared to train travel’s 0.04 deaths per 100 million miles, making it a safer mode of transportation compared to other major forms of travel.

  • A Yeti Airlines flight, 691, operating a domestic flight from Tribhuvan International Airport to Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, crashed into the gorge of the Seti River in the Gandaki district, resulting in the loss of all 72 individuals on board.
  • Fortunately, the occupants on board managed to survive the crash. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-300 owned by Aviation Coulson and serving as an air tanker, experienced a crash at Fitzgerald River National Park in the Great Southern Region of Western Australia. This happened while the aircraft was engaged in firefighting operations to combat multiple fires.
  • How Many Airplane Accidents Have Occurred in 2022?

    According to the latest publication by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), there were a combined total of 39 aviation accidents in 2022.

    Here are a few of the notable incidents we would like to emphasize:

  • On March, a tragic plane crash occurred in the mountains near Guangzhou, China, leading to the loss of 133 lives. The crash involved a Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Eastern China Airlines.
  • All crew members managed to escape with minor injuries after a DHL Aviation Boeing 757-200 freighter crashed near the runway at Juan Santamaria Airport in Costa Rica in April.
  • Luckily, all people on board have survived, but the plane caught fire during the crash of Tibet Airlines’ Airbus A319 at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in May.
  • A Tara Air DHC-6 Twin Otter crashes in the Mustang area of Nepal. Regrettably, all 22 individuals aboard lost their lives.
  • All occupants on board the MD-82 Douglas McDonnell Air Red A survived the crash-landing at Miami International Airport in June, but three people were hospitalized with minor injuries after the fire onboard.
  • The tragic crash of Flight 3032 Meridian occurred near Kavala, Greece in July, resulting in the loss of all eight individuals on board an An-12 Antonov aircraft carrying ammunition and weapons, destined from Dhaka, Bangladesh to Niš, Serbia.
  • Sixteen people were injured. Among the 36 individuals on the plane, a Fokker 50 aircraft operated by the airline crashed and flipped over during its landing in Mogadishu, Somalia, in the Jubba Airways Crash of 2022.
  • Unfortunately, all ten individuals on board tragically lost their lives in the incident. On Friday, a sudden nosedive occurred, causing the municipal airport in Renton, Washington, to experience a plane crash. The aircraft involved was a Turbine DHC-3 Otter, which was transporting tourists from Seaplane Harbor Base to Bay Mutiny in the year 2022.
  • A regrettable incident took place when the airplane exceeded the runway during its third attempt to land at Mactan-Cebu International Airport in the Philippines. Korean Air Flight 631, an Airbus A330-300 aircraft departing from Seoul-Incheon International Airport, experienced this incident in October. The adverse weather conditions were identified as the main cause. Fortunately, none of the 173 passengers and crew members sustained any injuries. However, the aircraft itself suffered irreparable damage.
  • On November, Precision Air Flight 494, a domestic flight operating from Dar es Salaam to Bukoba Airport in Tanzania, crashed into Lake Victoria while attempting to land, resulting in the loss of lives of 19 individuals out of the 43 people on board.
  • The crew and passengers all remained unharmed. Unfortunately, two firefighters lost their lives and one individual sustained injuries in the unfortunate collision that occurred on the runway, where an aircraft collided with an engine fire. The incident took place during takeoff from Lima to Juliaca and involved an Airbus A320neo operated by LATAM Chile and Flight Perú LATAM operated by LATAM Chile.
  • Statistics on Aviation Accidents and Injuries

    Our team has worked on gathering data on all aviation crashes from 1982 until the latest available data for 2019, sorting the total injuries into three tiers: minor injuries, serious injuries, and fatal injuries. This chart visualizes all the analyzed injuries and crashes in aviation.

    Furthermore, here is the complete chart of information for every aviation accident that occurred from 1982 to 2019.

    Please take note that the information for 2019 is not fully comprehensive, which clarifies the significant decrease in accidents.

    In the year, there were a total of 129 minor injuries, 120 serious injuries, 477 fatal crashes, and 640 crashes resulting in no injuries. Additionally, there were 437 crashes resulting in minor injuries, 331 crashes resulting in serious injuries, and 847 crashes resulting in no injuries. Furthermore, there were 1581 crashes resulting in minor injuries, 401 crashes resulting in serious injuries, and 295 crashes resulting in no injuries. Moreover, there were 677 crashes resulting in minor injuries, 1597 crashes resulting in serious injuries, and 468 crashes resulting in no injuries. Additionally, there were 297 crashes resulting in minor injuries, 835 crashes resulting in serious injuries, and 1628 crashes resulting in no injuries. Furthermore, there were 473 crashes resulting in minor injuries, 364 crashes resulting in serious injuries, and 1112 crashes resulting in no injuries. Moreover, there were 1600 crashes resulting in minor injuries, 469 crashes resulting in serious injuries, and 321 crashes resulting in no injuries. Additionally, there were 1438 crashes resulting in minor injuries, 1547 crashes resulting in serious injuries, and 671 crashes resulting in no injuries. Furthermore, there were 358 crashes resulting in minor injuries, 839 crashes resulting in serious injuries, and 1561 crashes resulting in no injuries. Moreover, there were 464 crashes resulting in minor injuries, 336 crashes resulting in serious injuries, and 1007 crashes resulting in no injuries. Additionally, there were 1861 crashes resulting in minor injuries, 488 crashes resulting in serious injuries, and 432 crashes resulting in no injuries. Furthermore, there were 959 crashes resulting in minor injuries, 1889 crashes resulting in serious injuries, and

    Around 50% of Aviation Accidents Occur During the Landing or Takeoff Phases

    In addition, ground teams and airline crews perform these phases in which heavy loads are loaded onto the aircraft. They focus on the procedures for takeoff and landing, which are the most complex phases of any flight. After analyzing aviation crash data from 1983 to 2019, it becomes clear that almost half of all aviation crashes occurred during these phases.

    The ever-changing weather conditions sometimes lead to unexpected events, making it necessary for Air Traffic Control to keep an eye on the situation and communicate with the plane. Navigating the plane becomes challenging due to the constant combination of tough airplane configuration changes.

    This following chart visualizes the disparity in aviation crashes when looking at the phase of flight in which the accident took place:.

    plane crashes by phase of flight

    General Aviation Aircraft Responsible for 78% of Accidents

    The airline company organizes scheduled passenger or cargo transportation, which, except for civilian flights, comprises almost 78% of all aviation crashes. Upon analysis, our team discovered that the majority of these crashes involved general aviation aircraft of various types. Additionally,

    One of the main reasons why there are many more scheduled commercial flights than there are crashes in aviation is because planes involved in crashes are involved in many accidents.

    When we examine the percentage of fatal accidents in general aviation flights, we find that almost 45% of them involved non-commercial flights in the US, while the other half involved commercial flights, with a fatality.

    It’s Challenging to Probe an Aviation Incident

    Today, we would like to reconstruct what happened during the consultation case and discuss the steps you need to take to fight for your rights in court. We are a reputable and experienced law firm, Nationwide Victims LLP, representing personal injury victims. If you have been injured in an airplane accident or have lost a loved one, don’t hesitate to call us for the help you deserve. It is important to note that there is a limited time to file your case, so please act promptly. When it comes to aviation-related lawsuits, it is necessary to file a lawsuit if needed. Investigating an aviation accident is a complex and time-consuming process, and it remains clear that the statistics on aviation accidents are a significant matter.