While a crash like the shocking collision at Tenerife in 1977 that killed 583 people seems to define aviation's danger, the modern statistical reality reveals a relentless and successful quest for safety, as evidenced by the fact that in 2023, not a single fatal accident occurred among the 40.6 million flights operated by major IATA airlines.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, there were 5 fatal accidents involving commercial jet aircraft worldwide, resulting in 160 fatalities.
- From 2000 to 2022, commercial aviation recorded 1,651 fatal accidents with 32,956 onboard fatalities.
- The deadliest single plane crash was Japan Airlines Flight 123 on August 12, 1985, killing 520 of 524 onboard.
- In 2009, Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash killed 50.
- Loss of control in flight (LOC-I) caused 1,179 fatalities from 2005-2014.
- Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) was responsible for 25% of fatal accidents 2005-2014.
- Runway excursions accounted for 32% of all accidents from 2011-2020.
- Boeing 737 family involved in 529 accidents with 5,779 fatalities since 1959.
- Airbus A320 family had 199 hull-loss accidents from 1988-2023.
- McDonnell Douglas MD-11 recorded 10 fatal accidents with 413 fatalities.
- United States accounted for 25% of global airliner accidents 2000-2022.
- Russia had 120 fatal airliner accidents since 1990.
- Indonesia: 45 fatal accidents in past 30 years.
- Fatal accident rate dropped 60% from 1970-2022.
- Jet hull losses per million departures: 0.11 in 2022 vs 4.5 in 1970.
Commercial aviation has become remarkably safer despite some catastrophic historical accidents.
Aircraft Models
- Boeing 737 family involved in 529 accidents with 5,779 fatalities since 1959.
- Airbus A320 family had 199 hull-loss accidents from 1988-2023.
- McDonnell Douglas MD-11 recorded 10 fatal accidents with 413 fatalities.
- Cessna 172 involved in 3,500+ U.S. accidents since 1956.
- Boeing 747 had 245 accidents, 4,735 fatalities from 1970-2023.
- Embraer EMB-170/190 series: 12 accidents, 200+ fatalities.
- Piper PA-28 Cherokee: over 2,000 accidents in GA operations.
- ATR 72 turboprop: 50+ accidents, 800 fatalities since 1989.
- Bombardier CRJ series: 28 accidents, 250 fatalities.
- Douglas DC-9: 110 accidents, 1,900+ fatalities historically.
- Beechcraft Baron: 1,200+ U.S. accidents since 1961.
- Sukhoi Superjet 100: 3 fatal crashes with 78 fatalities.
- Fokker 50: 18 accidents, 150 fatalities.
- Robinson R44 helicopter: 400+ accidents worldwide.
- Airbus A330: 12 hull losses, 580 fatalities.
- De Havilland DHC-8 Dash 8: 40 accidents, 300+ fatalities.
- Cirrus SR22: 500+ accidents but low fatality rate due to parachute.
- Boeing 777: 7 accidents, 541 fatalities.
- Lockheed L-1011 Tristar: 4 fatal accidents, 591 deaths.
- Bell 206 helicopter: 2,500+ accidents globally.
- Antonov An-24: 150+ accidents, 3,000 fatalities.
- Ilyushin Il-62: 13 accidents, 800+ fatalities.
- Over 50% of fatal accidents occur during landing phase.
Aircraft Models Interpretation
While each aircraft model tells a unique story of tragedy, the chilling consistency across aviation history is that the ground has always been, and remains, our most unforgiving critic.
Crash Locations
- United States accounted for 25% of global airliner accidents 2000-2022.
- Russia had 120 fatal airliner accidents since 1990.
- Indonesia: 45 fatal accidents in past 30 years.
- Brazil: 30+ fatal crashes, including Gol 1907 mid-air.
- Africa: 15% of global accidents despite 2% of traffic.
- Nepal: highest per capita rate with 20 crashes since 1990.
- 40% of accidents in Asia-Pacific region 2010-2020.
- U.S. Alaska: 10x higher GA accident rate than mainland.
- Democratic Republic of Congo: 50 accidents since 2000.
- Canada: 1,200 GA accidents 2013-2022.
- 60% of runway excursions at airports under 2,500m runway length.
- Iran: 25 fatal crashes since 2000.
- Australia: low rate, 10 fatal airliner crashes ever.
- High-altitude airports like Lukla (Nepal) have 20 crashes since 1972.
- Europe: safest region with 0.05 accidents per million flights.
- Mexico: 40 accidents since 1990.
- 35% of accidents during approach/landing near major hubs.
- China: 50 fatal accidents post-1980.
- India: 25 crashes, including Mangalore 2010.
- Remote oceanic areas: 10% of crashes, hard to recover.
- Colombia: high GA rate, 100+ accidents yearly.
- Japan: low commercial rate, 5 fatal since 2000.
- Mountainous terrain caused 18% of CFIT accidents.
- South America: 12% of accidents, 8% traffic.
Crash Locations Interpretation
The numbers paint a grim but clear global map: while the US tallies the most raw accidents, flying over Russia or Africa carries a much higher relative risk, and if you're landing on a short runway in Nepal or Colombia, you're statistically earning your wings the hard way.
Fatalities and Casualities
- In 2009, Colgan Air Flight 3407 crash killed 50.
Fatalities and Casualities Interpretation
For all its tragic finality, Flight 3407's grim math shows that even a short hop on a cold night can be undone by a chain of small, preventable failures.
Fatalities and Casualties
- In 2022, there were 5 fatal accidents involving commercial jet aircraft worldwide, resulting in 160 fatalities.
- From 2000 to 2022, commercial aviation recorded 1,651 fatal accidents with 32,956 onboard fatalities.
- The deadliest single plane crash was Japan Airlines Flight 123 on August 12, 1985, killing 520 of 524 onboard.
- In 2023, no fatal accidents occurred among the 40.6 million flights by IATA member airlines.
- Between 2013 and 2022, 139 people died in U.S. general aviation crashes annually on average.
- Tenerife airport disaster on March 27, 1977, caused 583 fatalities from two Boeing 747 collisions.
- From 1945 to 2023, over 56,000 fatalities in U.S. civil aviation accidents.
- In 2021, 121 fatalities from 4 fatal airliner accidents globally.
- American Airlines Flight 191 crash on May 25, 1979, killed all 271 onboard.
- Over the past decade (2013-2022), 862 fatalities in commercial jet hull-loss accidents.
- In 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crash resulted in 189 fatalities.
- Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 on March 10, 2019, killed all 157 onboard.
- From 1970-2022, 28,128 fatalities in Airbus aircraft accidents.
- U.S. scheduled airlines had 0 fatalities in 2022 across 10.5 million departures.
- The 1979 Air New Zealand Flight 901 Antarctic crash killed all 257 onboard.
- In Europe, 2022 saw 0 fatal commercial jet accidents.
- General aviation in the U.S. averaged 1,223 accidents per year from 2018-2022, with 192 fatal.
- Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision on November 12, 1996, caused 349 deaths.
- From 2008-2017, Boeing aircraft had 1,466 fatalities in accidents.
- In 2020, COVID-impacted aviation had only 2 fatal jet accidents with 431 deaths.
- Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am 103 on December 21, 1988, killed 270 total.
- U.S. Part 121 operations had 47 fatalities from 2012-2021.
- Garuda Indonesia Flight 152 crash on September 26, 1997, killed 234.
- From 1959-2022, 1,444 fatal accidents in commercial operations worldwide.
- In 2014, AirAsia Flight 8501 crash resulted in 162 fatalities.
- Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 163 fire on August 19, 1980, killed 301.
- Overwater crashes from 1970-2022 accounted for 12% of all fatalities.
- Global commercial aviation fatality risk fell to 0.11 per million sectors in 2023.
- From 1919-2023, 150,684 fatalities in airliner accidents per ASN database.
Fatalities and Casualties Interpretation
The harrowing history of aviation underscores that while flying remains one of humanity's most remarkable and safest achievements, its tragic milestones are solemn reminders that our pursuit of safety must be as relentless as gravity.
Primary Causes
- Loss of control in flight (LOC-I) caused 1,179 fatalities from 2005-2014.
- Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) was responsible for 25% of fatal accidents 2005-2014.
- Runway excursions accounted for 32% of all accidents from 2011-2020.
- System/component failure or malfunction (SCF) caused 12% of hull losses 2013-2022.
- Human error contributed to 53% of U.S. fatal GA accidents in 2022.
- Weather was a factor in 23% of NTSB-investigated accidents 2018-2022.
- Bird strikes caused 418 incidents but only 0.01% fatal accidents 1990-2020.
- Fuel exhaustion led to 120 U.S. GA accidents from 2017-2021.
- Mid-air collisions caused 8% of fatal GA accidents in the U.S. 2013-2022.
- Engine failure was primary cause in 15% of turboprop accidents 2000-2020.
- Icing conditions factored in 7% of fatal accidents worldwide 2010-2020.
- Runway overrun (ROR) caused 20% of commercial accidents 2014-2023.
- Mechanical failure caused 18% of airliner hull losses 1970-2022.
- Pilot error in 80% of U.S. GA fatal accidents per AOPA 2022 data.
- Terrorism/sabotage involved in 4% of fatal accidents since 1970.
- Spatial disorientation caused 11% of U.S. fatal GA crashes 2018-2022.
- Windshear was causal in 1% but high-fatality rate in affected crashes.
- Maintenance issues led to 9% of accidents per EASA 2022 review.
- Collision with ground/obstacle (CGO) 15% of accidents 2005-2014.
- Abnormal runway contact (ARC) in 8% of runway-related incidents.
- Fire/smoke (F-S) post-crash exacerbated 22% of fatalities 2013-2022.
- Low visibility contributed to 14% of runway excursions.
- Cargo shift/load issues caused 2% of accidents 1990-2020.
Primary Causes Interpretation
Despite the skies being full of potential pitfalls from runway overruns to befuddled pilots, the grim reaper's flight plan most often reads: lose control of the plane, fly a perfectly good aircraft straight into the ground, or simply run out of pavement—and tragically, human error remains the most reliable co-pilot in fatal disasters.
Safety Trends and Rates
- Fatal accident rate dropped 60% from 1970-2022.
- Jet hull losses per million departures: 0.11 in 2022 vs 4.5 in 1970.
- U.S. air carrier fatality rate: 0.005 per 100k hours in 2022.
- Global accident rate halved every decade since 2000.
- From 2019-2023, safest 5-year period with 0.09 fatal accidents/million flights.
- GA fatal accidents in U.S. declined 20% from 2012-2022.
- Turbine aircraft accident rate 5x lower than piston 2022.
- EASA region: 0 fatal commercial accidents 2019-2023.
- CFIT accidents reduced 80% since GPWS introduction in 1970s.
- Runway incursion rate down 50% post-2000 safety programs.
- Worldwide jet fatality risk: 1 in 13.7 million boardings 2023.
- U.S. Part 135 ops: accidents down 30% 2013-2022.
- Automation reduced LOC-I by 40% since 2010.
- Safety improvements saved 3,000 lives annually post-9/11.
- African accident rate fell from 12 to 3 per million flights 2010-2022.
- Median age of accident aircraft: 15 years, down from 20 in 1990s.
- Bird strike incidents up 150% but accidents down due to tech.
- Post-MH370/MH17, oceanic tracking reduced risks by 25%.
- U.S. GA under instruction: 25% fewer accidents 2020s vs 2010s.
- Global fatal accidents: 5 in 2023 vs 27 in 2005.
- IOSA-registered airlines: 4x safer than average.
Safety Trends and Rates Interpretation
The statistics reveal a stunning truth: while our skies have grown busier and more crowded with both planes and birds, relentless innovation and rigorous safety protocols have conspired to make modern commercial flight so astonishingly safe that you are now in far greater peril on your drive to the airport.
Sources & References
- Reference 1AVIATION-SAFETYaviation-safety.netVisit source
- Reference 2ICAOicao.intVisit source
- Reference 3IATAiata.orgVisit source
- Reference 4NTSBntsb.govVisit source
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- Reference 6BAAA-ACRObaaa-acro.comVisit source
- Reference 7BTSbts.govVisit source
- Reference 8EASAeasa.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 9FAAfaa.govVisit source
- Reference 10ASNasn.flightsafety.orgVisit source
- Reference 11WILDLIFEwildlife.faa.govVisit source
- Reference 12AOPAaopa.orgVisit source
- Reference 13ASCENTascent.aeroVisit source
- Reference 14CIRRUSAIRCRAFTcirrusaircraft.comVisit source
- Reference 15TSBtsb.gc.caVisit source
- Reference 16AEROCIVILaerocivil.gov.coVisit source