Over the course of weeks, a series of serious airline accidents has made air safety a hot topic. Especially because unlike most of the high-profile crashes of recent years, these have occurred on home grass.
First, an airborne collision occurred between an American Airlines commuter jet and an army helicopter in the country’s capital, killing all 67 people on the two ships. The US aviation industry is now set to record 16-year record run without a fatal crash on commercial jets.
They soon followed two fatal accidents in which two fatal accidents (one in Philadelphia and one in Alaska) followed, leaving a total of 17 people vanishing, causing anxiety.
Then, on February 17th, another shocking scene appeared from the scene of the Toronto airline collision. There, after a short flight from Minneapolis, Delta’s regional jets were turned over on a snowy runway. Surprisingly, all 76 passengers and four crew members were evacuated safely, with several serious injuries reported. Still, the accident added to the impression that something was grossly wrying on aviation.
Industry officials and critics quickly took him to the airwaves to reassure the public. Jennifer Homendy, chairman of the National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates air force conflicts, highlighted the strong safety records of the airline, pointing to the deaths of more than 100 Americans every day in car accidents. In an interview with Fox News, she said that while she understands that watching news reports about these crashes may be “concern,” it is important to remember that “air travel is extremely safe.” (The investigation into the delta crash will be led by the Canadian Road Safety Board, as it was carried out in Canadian soils.)
“Walking Call”
The complete story behind this mass of incident may not be known for a while. A complete accident investigation can usually take up to 18 months. But judging by some of the commentary online, passengers are confused and probably get caught up in the airplane. But should they be?
Most aviation experts say there is no reason for the alarm. In fact, the reason why air attracts so much attention is very rare. Furthermore, finding the cause usually leads to reforms that make the system even safer. Still, there is some concern about whether industry and federal regulators were responding appropriately to warning signs, like reporting near misses at airports.
“This is a wake-up call,” said John Goglier, a former NTSB member and aviation safety consultant. “We were so complacent.”
He added, “For a long time since that last big crash, the industry hasn’t looked at the ball.”
That last fatal crash, a crash that occurred in 2009, when a continental air commuter plane run by local affiliate Corgan Air crashed outside Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 people and one person on the ground.
Subsequent investigations, along with some highly publicized Congressional hearings, unearthed inadequate training and stressful working conditions for commuter crews, leading to a series of reforms, including the higher standards for pilots that often start in the industry on commuter lines.
However, other red flags have not yet been fully resolved, such as staffing at major air traffic control centres and the wave of pilot retirements during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Goglia points out that the airport where the recent air collision occurred (Ronord Reagan-Washington National Airport) is famous for being one of the busiest airfields in the country. It also has a relatively short runway, and “there is a pentagon nearby, so you have all the restricted airspace” – the airspace, which is restricted to using for security reasons, creates one of the more challenging environments for pilots. Nevertheless, council members have recently voted to expand the number of flight operations at DC Airport. However, the clash has encouraged the airport to make changes, including new restrictions on military helicopter flights, including “it should never be allowed to get too close to busy airfields.”
What happens next?
As the various research progresses, it is important for travelers to keep things in sight, says William J. McGee, senior aviation and travel fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project. Even with recent accidents, he says, “This is still a very safe system.” “Now there’s an entire generation who can’t remember the time when crashing air was much more common.”
That is also true on a global scale. For example, 2024 was the worst air safety of recent years, with 11 fatal accidents and a total of 318 deaths (including 179 in the Jeju Air Collision in South Korea), compared to 2002, when 1,022 people died in a total of 33 accidents. And that was a lower flight than we have today.
“The safety issues are periodic and this is difficult, but given the enormous amount of air traffic in the country, it was probably postponed due to a major crash,” said an airline pilot and aviation safety expert.
Still, the chances of crashes have been dramatically improved due to technological advances and other reforms. For example, with that high crash rate in 2002, 50% of deaths were attributed to a phenomenon known as controlled flight into the terrain (CFIT). More recently, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, safety reforms, including new advanced navigation techniques, improved training and adjustments to the cockpit crew, have dramatically reduced CFIT crashes around the world.
In late 2023, when close calls at the airport dominated the headlines, the FAA responded with a ton of recommendations, including accelerated employment for controllers.
Airplane types have been the focus of the recent Boeing Max crisis, an aircraft grounded after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, but there was no suggestion that mechanical issues could be held responsible for the recent crash of a jet plane in the region. Both the DC and Toronto collisions included similar aircraft types, the Bombardier CRJ 700 and the CRJ 900, respectively. These are popular with small lines that partner with major lines. In these cases, it is an endeavored subsidiary of American Eagle and Delta. These Worker Hols are generally considered to be extremely reliable.
As one pilot said after seeing footage of the crash in Toronto, “a lot could have been wrong. Everyone survived is a testament to the strength and airworthiness of the plane, and the professionalism of its crew.”
But ultimately, what these crashes show is that what the pilots add is that when it comes to aviation safety, “we must be constantly on alert and vigilant.”
This story was originally published in March 2024 and updated on February 19, 2025, and contains current information.
