STATISTICS

  



Causes of Fatal Accidents by Decade (percentage)

Cause 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s All
 Pilot Error 40 32 24 25 27 25 29
 Pilot Error  (weather related) 11 18 14 17 21 17 16
 Pilot Error (mechanical related) 7 5 4 2 4 3 4
 Total Pilot Error 58 57 42 44 53 45 50
 Other Human Error 0 8 9 6 8 9 7
 Weather 16 10 13 15 9 8 12
 Mechanical Failure 21 20 23 21 21 28 22
 Sabotage 5 5 11 13 10 9 9
 Other Cause 0 2 2 1 0 1 1

The table above is compiled from the PlaneCrashInfo.com accident database and represents 1,300 fatal accidents involving commercial aircraft, world-wide, from 1950 thru 2008 for which a specific cause is known. Aircraft with 10 or less people aboard, military aircraft , private aircraft and helicopters are not included.

"Pilot error (weather related)" represents accidents in which pilot error was the cause but brought about by weather related phenomena. "Pilot error (mechanical related)" represents accidents in which pilot error was the cause but brought about by some type of mechanical failure. "Other human error" includes air traffic controller errors, improper loading of aircraft, fuel contamination and improper maintenance procedures. Sabotage includes explosive devices, shoot downs and hijackings. "Total pilot error" is the total of all three types of pilot error (in yellow). Where there were multiple causes, the most prominent cause was used.
Source: PlaneCrashInfo.com database



Accidents and Fatalities by Phase of Flight

Source: Statistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents, Boeing





Which type of flying is safer?

Type of Flight Fatalities per million flight hours
Airliner (Scheduled and nonscheduled Part 121) 4.03
Commuter Airline (Scheduled Part 135) 10.74
Commuter Plane (Nonscheduled Part 135 - Air taxi on demand) 12.24
General Aviation (Private Part 91) 22.43

Sources: NTSB Accidents and Accident Rates by NTSB Classification 1998-2007




Odds of being involved in a fatal accident

Odds of being on an airline flight which results in at least one fatality Odds of being killed on a single airline flight
Top 25 airlines with the best records
 1 in 8.47 million 		 Top 25 airlines with the best records
 1 in 13.57 million 
Bottom 25 with the worst records
 1 in 830,428		 Bottom 25 with the worst records
 1 in 1.13 million

Source: OAG Aviation & PlaneCrashInfo.com accident database, 1989 - 2008



Survival rate of passengers on
aircraft involved in fatal accidents
carrying 10+ passengers

Decade % surviving
1930s 21
1940s 20
1950s 24
1960s 19
1970s 25
1980s 34
1990s 35
2000s 24

Survival rate of passengers on aircraft ditching during controlled flight 53%

Source: PlaneCrashInfo.com accident database

 

 

Notable Accident Causes by Category
Air Traffic Control Error
09/03/1929 Mt. Taylor, New Mexico Trans Con. Air Transport
06/13/1947 Leesburg, Virginia Pen Central Air
11/11/1949 Arlington, Virginia Eastern / U.S. AF
04/14/1958 Castel de Fels, Spain Aviaco
07/21/1961 Shemya, Alaska Alaska AL
02/08/1965 New York, New York Eastern AL
03/05/1969 San Juan, Puerto Rico Prinair
01/14/1970 Mt. Pumacona, Peru Faucett
02/06/1970 Samarkand, USSR Aeroflot
12/20/1972 Chicago, Illinois Delta/North Central
09/09/1976 Adler, Russia Aeroflot / Aeroflot
09/10/1976 Gaj, Yugoslavia Inex / British AW
08/11/1979 Dneprodzerzhinsk, USSR Aeroflot
04/19/1983 Keninakan, Russia Aeroflot
02/01/1991 Los Angeles, California  USAir/Skywest
05/19/1993 Medellin, Colombia SAM
11/07/1996 Lagos, Nigeria Aviation Dev. Corp.
09/26/1997 Buah Nabar, Indonesia Garuda Indonesian AL
07/01/2002 Uberlinger, Germany Bashkirian AL / DHL
Bird Strike
10/04/1960 Boston, Massachusetts Eastern AL
11/23/1962 Ellicott, Maryland United AL
09/15/1988 Bahar Dar, Ethiopia Ethiopian AL
04/18/1990 Off Panama Aero Perlas
09/22/1995 Anchorage, Alaska U.S. Air Force
04/19/2000 Pepo, Congo Centrafricain Airlines
01/25/2007 Pau, France Reg Comp Aer Eur
01/15/2009 New York, New York US Airways
Cargo Hold / Cabin Fire
07/09/1945 Florence, South Carolina Eastern AL
06/17/1948 Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania United AL
08/02/1949 Jaquirana, Brazil Varig
01/09/1964 Zarate, Argentina Aero Litoral Argentina
07/09/1964 Parrottsville, Tennesee United AL
07/26/1969 Biskra, Algeria Air Algerie
08/14/1972 Konigs, East Germany Interflug
08/31/1972 Magnitogorsk, Russia Aeroflot
07/11/1973 Paris, Orly, France Varig
11/03/1973 Boston, Massachusetts Pan American
11/26/1979 Ta'if, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Pakistan Inter. AL
08/19/1980 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabian AL
12/24/1982 Guangzhou, China CAAC
06/02/1983 Covington, Kentucky Air Canada
07/02/1986 Syktyvar, Russia Aeroflot
05/09/1987 Warsaw, Poland LOT
11/28/1987 Mauritius, Indian Ocean South African Airways
01/13/1990 Pervouralsk, Russia Aeroflot
07/12/1995 Gumey, New Guinea Milne Bay Air
05/11/1996 Everglades, Florida ValuJjet
09/02/1998 Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia Swissair
05/07/2002 Off Dalian, China China Northern Airlines
Design Flaw
03/31/1933 Bazaar, Kansas Trans Cont. & West AW
10/24/1947 Bryce Canyon, Utah United AL
11/11/1947 Gallup, New Mexico American AL
06/17/1948 Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania United AL
08/29/1948 Winona, Minnesota Northwest Orient AL
05/02/1953 Jalalogori, India British Overseas AW
01/10/1954 Elba, Italy British Overseas AW
04/08/1954 Off Stromboli, Italy Trans Canada AL
02/05/1955 Calabar, Nigeria West African AW
09/29/1959 Buffalo, Texas Braniff AL
03/17/1960 Tell City, Indiana Northwest Orient AL
07/05/1970 Toronto, Canada Air Canada
03/03/1974 Ermenonville, France Turkish AL
07/06/1982 Moscow, Russia Aeroflot
07/30/1992 New York, New York Trans World AL
04/06/1993 Over the Pacific Ocean China Eastern AL
03/03/1991 Colorado Springs, Colorado United AL
09/08/1994 Aliquippa, Pennsylvania USair
12/05/1997 Irkutsk, Russia Russian Air Force
Sabotage / Explosive Device
03/28/1933 Dixmude, Belgium Imperial AW
10/10/1933 Chesterton, Indiana United AL
05/07/1949 Sibuyan Sea, Philippines Phillipine AL
09/09/1949 Sault-aux-Cochons, Canada Canadian Pacific AL
08/12/1952 Palmeria de Goias, Brazil Trans Aero Nac.
04/11/1955 Great Natuna Island, Sarawak Air India
11/01/1955 Longmont, Colorado United AL
07/25/1957 Daggett, California Western AL
04/17/1959 Puerto Kino,Mexico Tigres Voladores
09/08/1959 Poza Rica, Mexico Mexicana
11/16/1959 Gulf of Mexico National AL
01/06/1960 Bolivia, North Carolina National AL
05/10/1961 In Amenas, Libya Air France
05/22/1962 Unionville, Missouri Continental AL
12/08/1964 Tripuani, Bolivia Aerolineas Abaroa
07/08/1965 Dog Creek, British Columbia Canadian Pacific AL
11/22/1966 Aden, Yemen Aden AW
02/09/1967 Mexico City, Mexico Cubana
10/12/1967 Rhodes, Greece British European AW
12/22/1969 Nha Trang, Vietnam Air Vietnam
02/21/1970 Zurich, Switzerland Swissair
04/21/1970 Manila, Philippines Philippine AL
11/21/1971 Penhu Island, Taiwan China AL
01/26/1972 Hermsdorf, Czechoslovakia JAT
06/15/1972 Pleiku, Vietnam Cathay Pacific AW
03/19/1973 Ben Me Thout, South Vietnam Air Vietnam
04/21/1973 Patabangan, Philippines Philippine AL
12/17/1973 Rome, Italy Pan American AW
09/08/1974 Ionian Sea, Greece Trans World AL
01/01/1976 Al Qaysumah, Saudi Arabia Middle East AL
10/06/1976 Bridgetown, Barbados Cubana
02/19/1979 Barentu, Ethiopia Ethiopian Airlines
06/27/1980 Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy Itavia
12/21/1980 Rio Hacha, Colombia Trans. Aereos del Caribe
09/23/1983 Mina Jebel Ali, UAE Gulf Air
06/23/1985 Atlantic Ocean, Ireland Air India
04/02/1986 Athens, Greece Trans World AL
05/03/1986 Colombo, Sri Lanka Air Lanka
11/29/1987 Andaman Sea Korean AL
03/01/1988 Johannesberg, South Africa Comair
08/17/1988 Bahawalpur, Pakistan Pakistan Air Force
12/21/1988 Lockerbie, Scotland Pan American AW
09/19/1989 Bilma, Niger Union des Trans. Aeriens
11/27/1989 Bogota, Colombia Avianca
07/19/1994 Colon, Panama Alas Chiricanas
12/11/1994 Pacific Ocean, Okinawa Philippine AL
07/09/1997 Suzano, Brazil TAM
03/03/2001 Bangkok, Thailand Thai Airways
05/07/2002 Off Dalian, China China Northern Airlines
08/24/2004 Toula, Russia Volga-Avia Express
08/24/2004 Rostov-on-Don, Russia Sibir Airlines
Fuel Starvation
05/18/1935 Knowles Flying Service Flint, Michigan
12/31/1935 Imperial Airways Alexandria, Egypt
05/06/1936 Macon, Missouri Transcon. & West. Air
01/14/1936 Goodwin, Arkansas American AL
07/02/1937 Lae, New Guinea Purdue Res. Found.
11/28/1938 Off Point Reyes, Calif. United Air Lines
02/09/1943 Gander, Newfoundland British Overseas AW
12/28/1946 Michigan City, Michigan American AL
01/05/1947 Carmel, New Jersey Nationwide Air Trans.
01/11/1947 Lympne, England BOAC
01/07/1948 Savannah, Georgia Coastal Air Lines
01/30/1948 Near Bermuda British So. Am. AW
12/28/1948 San Juan, Puerto Rico Airborne Transport
08/15/1949 Lurga Point, Ireland Transocean Air Lines
07/28/1950 Porte Alegre, Brazil Penair do Brasil
04/30/1952 Delhi, India Deccan, AW
05/26/1952 Atar, Mauritania British Overseas Airways
06/19/1954 Folkestone, England  Swissair
12/22/1954 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Johnson Flying Service
04/04/1967 Stockport, England British Midland AW
05/02/1970 St. Croix, Virgin Islands Antillian AL
12/05/1970 Delhi, India Jamair
02/01/1972 Tegal, Indonesia Penas
07/24/1973 Honolulu, HI Air Hawaii
08/11/1974 Ouagadougou, Upper Volta Air Mali
10/20/1977 Gillsburg, Mississippi L & J Company
12/02/1977 Al Bayda, Lebanon Balkan Bulgarian AL
12/28/1978 Portland, Oregon United AL
09/04/1982 Rio Branco, Brazil Cia Bras. de Tratores
07/23/1983 Gimli, Manitoba, Canada Air Canada
09/03/1989 Sao Jose do Xingu, Brazil Varig
01/25/1990 Cove Neck, New York Avianca
09/11/1990 Off Newfoundland, Canada Faucett
06/26/1991 Sokotu, Nigeria Okada Air
11/15/1993 Kerman, Iran Magistralnye Avialinii
09/18/1994 Tamanrasset, Algeria Oriental AL
09/26/1994 Vanavera, Russia Cheremshanka AL
09/11/1995 Jalalabad, Afghanistan  Ariana Afghan AL
10/31/1995 Piedras Negras, Mexico TACSA
04/05/1996 Petropavlovsk, Russia Krasnoyarskie AV
01/13/1998 Tor Kach, Pakistan Ariana Afghan AL
03/24/2000 Kadirana, Sri Lanka OMSK
06/11/2002 Winnipeg, Manitoba Keystone Air Services
11/11/2002 Manila, Philippines Laoag Int. Airlines
08/13/2004 Cincinnati, Ohio Air Tacoma
08/06/2005 Off Palermo, Italy Tuninter
Hijacking (resulting in fatalities)
07/16/1948 Pacific Ocean Cathay Pacific AW
11/01/1958 Nipe Bay, Cuba Cubana
04/28/1960 Calabozo, Venezuela Linea Aero. Venezolana
1/23/1971 Korean Air Lines Sokcho, South Korea
12/06/1971 Tikaka, Sudan Sudan AW
05/18/1973 Chita, Russia Aeroflot
09/15/1974 Phan Rang, Vietnam Air Vietnam
05/23/1976 Zamboanga, Philippines Philippine AL
06/27/1976 Entebbe, Uganda Air France
12/04/1977 Kampung Ladang, Malaysia Malaysia AL
06/14/1985 Athens, Greece Trans World AL
11/24/1985 Luqa, Malta Egyptair
09/05/1986 Karachi, Pakistan Pan American AW
12/25/1986 Ay, Saudi Arabia Iraqi AW
07/24/1987 Geneva, Switzerland Air Afrique
04/05/1988 Combi, Cyprus Kuwait AW
10/02/1990 Guangzhou, China Xiamen/China SW AL
08/28/1993 Khorag, Tajikistan Tadzhikistan Nat. AL
12/26/1994 Algiers, Algeria Air France
11/23/1996 Moroni, Comoros Islands Ethiopian AL
07/23/1999 Tokyo, Japan All Nippon AW
12/24/1999 Amritsar, India Indian Airlines
05/25/2000 Manila, Philippines Philippine Air Lines
03/15/2001 Medina, Saudi Arabia Vnukovo Airlines
09/11/2001 New York, New York American AL
09/11/2001 New York, New York United AL
09/11/2001 Arlington, Virginia American AL
09/11/2001 Shanksville, Pennsylvania United AL
Lightning
07/22/1938 Stulpica, Romania LOT
08/31/1940 Lovettsville, Virginia Penn Central AL
01/17/1951 Civitavecchia, Italy Alitalia
06/26/1959 Varese, Italy Trans World AL
08/29/1960 Dakar, Senegal Air France
07/19/1961 Azul, Brazil Aerolineas Argentinas
12/19/1962 Warsaw, Poland LOT
08/12/1963 Lyon, France Air Inter
12/08/1963 Elkton, Maryland Pan American AW
12/24/1971 Puerto Inca, Peru Lineas Aereas Nac.
05/09/1976 Madrid, Spain Iran Air Force
05/09/1980 Montelimar, France Kuwait Air Force
02/08/1988 Mulheim, Germany NFD
06/22/2000 Shitai, China Wuhan AL
Pilot Incapacitation
10/30/1959 Waynesborough, Virginia Piedmont AL
12/14/1962 Burbank, California Flying Tiger Line
10/06/1965 Centennial, Wyoming United AL
04/22/1966 Ardmore, Oklahoma American Flyers AL
03/13/1967 East London, South Africa South African AW
01/14/1970 Mt. Pumacona, Peru Faucett
06/18/1972 Staines, Surrey, England British European AW
10/13/1972 Krasnaya, Polyana, USSR Aeroflot
02/09/1982 Tokyo, Japan Japan AL
03/31/1995 Balotesti, Romania Trans. Aeeriene Rom.
09/04/2000 Near Burketown, Australia Central Air
08/14/2005 Grammatikos, Greece Helios Airways
Pilots Shot by Passenger
05/07/1964 San Ramon, California Pacific AL
12/04/1977 Kampung Ladang, Malaysia Malaysian AL
12/07/1987 San Luis Obispo, California Pacific Southwest AL

 

 

Airlines With No Fatal Accidents


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