Aircraft Crashes - Facts And Myths
- Date: 2007-03-26 - Word Count: 619
Share This!
An Air France A340 jetliner skidded off a runway while landing in Toronto. Remarkably, all 309 people onboard survived as the flight attendants and crew helped them evacuate the aircraft in less than two minutes.With this accident, we find it appropriate to discuss the safety of air travel, especially for those individuals that are considering a flight attendant career.
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about safety.
How safe is air travel?
Commercial Jet Aviation is an exceptionally safe way to get from here to there. More than three million people around the world fly safely on commercial aircraft every day. In 2000, the world's commercial jet airlines carried approximately 1.09 billion people on 18 million flights, while suffering only 20 fatal accidents.
How often do serious accidents happen?
They are exceedingly rare. The risk of being involved in a commercial jet aircraft accident where there are multiple fatalities is approximately one in three million. To put this in perspective, you’d have to fly once every day for more than 8,200 years to accumulate three million flights. But even though fatal jet accidents are rare, the aviation community world-wide is continuing to work together to reduce them.
So is flying getting safer or riskier?
Commercial aviation has always been the safest mode of long- distance travel. But it’s gotten even safer. Thirty years ago, fatal accidents on commercial jetliners occurred approximately once in every 140 million miles flown. Today, it’s 1.4 billion miles flown for every fatal accident - a ten-fold safety improvement.
What’s the risk of flying compared to driving?
In the United States, it’s 22 times safer flying in a commercial jet than travelling by car, according to a 1993-95 study by the U.S. National Safety Council comparing accident fatalities per million passenger-miles travelled. The number of U.S. highway deaths in a typical six-month period is about 21,000 which roughly equals all commercial jet fatalities worldwide since the dawn of jet aviation four decades ago. In fact, fewer people have died in commercial airplace accidents in America over the past 60 years than are killed in U.S. auto accidents in a typical three-month period. In 2000, there were 41,800 traffic accident fatalities in the US compared to 878 commercial airplane fatalities that same year.
What causes commercial jets to crash?
There’s rarely a single cause. Usually it’s a combination of things. One reason accidents are so rare is that commercial aviation has so many redundant, back-up systems to keep a problem from becoming serious. Typically this means that before a problem escalates into an accident, safety experts say, a series of increasingly unlikely events must occur, one after another. It’s sort of like having all the holes line up in randomly selected, stacked slices of Swiss cheese: perhaps not impossible, but the chances are extremely remote. International teams are currently studying data in order to identify the most significant accident causes, and, importantly, strategies for preventing them.
What is the riskiest portion of a flight?
Takeoff and the climb to cruising altitude, and the descent and landing of an airplane are the two most risk-prone periods of a flight. In overly simplistic terms, takeoff demands the most from an airplane in terms of engine thrust and structural integrity, while final approach and landing demand the most of the cockpit crew. About three-fourths of all serious accidents occur during these two relatively brief phases of a flight.
Where’s the safest seat on a jet during a crash?
There are some who believe it’s safer to be seated near the wings or in the rear of the cabin. However, there’s no evidence that any one part of an aircraft is safer than another. Also, it is best to listen to the pre-take-off safety briefing on each flight, as well as all in-flight announcements.
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about safety.
How safe is air travel?
Commercial Jet Aviation is an exceptionally safe way to get from here to there. More than three million people around the world fly safely on commercial aircraft every day. In 2000, the world's commercial jet airlines carried approximately 1.09 billion people on 18 million flights, while suffering only 20 fatal accidents.
How often do serious accidents happen?
They are exceedingly rare. The risk of being involved in a commercial jet aircraft accident where there are multiple fatalities is approximately one in three million. To put this in perspective, you’d have to fly once every day for more than 8,200 years to accumulate three million flights. But even though fatal jet accidents are rare, the aviation community world-wide is continuing to work together to reduce them.
So is flying getting safer or riskier?
Commercial aviation has always been the safest mode of long- distance travel. But it’s gotten even safer. Thirty years ago, fatal accidents on commercial jetliners occurred approximately once in every 140 million miles flown. Today, it’s 1.4 billion miles flown for every fatal accident - a ten-fold safety improvement.
What’s the risk of flying compared to driving?
In the United States, it’s 22 times safer flying in a commercial jet than travelling by car, according to a 1993-95 study by the U.S. National Safety Council comparing accident fatalities per million passenger-miles travelled. The number of U.S. highway deaths in a typical six-month period is about 21,000 which roughly equals all commercial jet fatalities worldwide since the dawn of jet aviation four decades ago. In fact, fewer people have died in commercial airplace accidents in America over the past 60 years than are killed in U.S. auto accidents in a typical three-month period. In 2000, there were 41,800 traffic accident fatalities in the US compared to 878 commercial airplane fatalities that same year.
What causes commercial jets to crash?
There’s rarely a single cause. Usually it’s a combination of things. One reason accidents are so rare is that commercial aviation has so many redundant, back-up systems to keep a problem from becoming serious. Typically this means that before a problem escalates into an accident, safety experts say, a series of increasingly unlikely events must occur, one after another. It’s sort of like having all the holes line up in randomly selected, stacked slices of Swiss cheese: perhaps not impossible, but the chances are extremely remote. International teams are currently studying data in order to identify the most significant accident causes, and, importantly, strategies for preventing them.
What is the riskiest portion of a flight?
Takeoff and the climb to cruising altitude, and the descent and landing of an airplane are the two most risk-prone periods of a flight. In overly simplistic terms, takeoff demands the most from an airplane in terms of engine thrust and structural integrity, while final approach and landing demand the most of the cockpit crew. About three-fourths of all serious accidents occur during these two relatively brief phases of a flight.
Where’s the safest seat on a jet during a crash?
There are some who believe it’s safer to be seated near the wings or in the rear of the cabin. However, there’s no evidence that any one part of an aircraft is safer than another. Also, it is best to listen to the pre-take-off safety briefing on each flight, as well as all in-flight announcements.
Related Tags: aviation, aircraft crashes, aviation training
A leading service industry expert prominently into human resource consulting and developing training strategies for leading international airlines Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- How To Avail Cheap Air Tickets In Economy Class
Getting a cheap economy class ticket can be a scary task. But if you do little homework then you can - Heathrow Airport - Numerous Options For Every Need
What are the things that anyone can enjoy when it comes to making a decision? What are the things th - Miscellaneous Overview Of Airlines In India
While booking of flights tickets, travelers do hardly give importance to the type of aircraft that t - Travel To Egypt From London At The Cheapest Fares
If you are a traveler by heart and love to explore the secrets of the past, then Egypt would be a te - Tips For Selecting An Aircraft Charter Company
Private jet charter is no doubt the most ultimate way to travel. Private jets are more commonly used - Hire An Airport Limo In Toronto To Have A Pleasant Journey
Traveling comes out to be an extremely hectic affair if one lacks a suitable mode of transportation. - Heavy With A Baby And Going On Tour
Holiday travel info for pregnant women are now available thanks to a travel agency that issued them - Hammocks
HammocksSpanish explorers first discovered hammocks when visiting the West Indies. The natives made - Cheap Airline Tickets- Best Way To Reduce Travel Cost!
Are you one of those people who often need to travel to different places? If yes, you must be lookin - Chartered Jets May Be Worth The Cost
Want to sit in coach for that cross-country flight, battling over the armrest and the overweight per
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Purchasing Cheap Flights to Malaga
Malaga is located along the southern coastline of Spain in the Costa del Sol region. It is a port ci - The Advantages of Using Private Jet Charters
In today's demanding business and corporate world, air travel is becoming increasingly expensive and - How To Avoid DVT
How to avoid DVTDVT is a serious condition where blood clots develop in the deep veins of the legs. - Stansted Airport Parking Explained - Top Advice to Save Time and Money from a Seasoned Traveler
London Stansted International Airport has now grown into London's' third airport and is the fifth bu - Airplanes
I've been flying airplanes since I was born minimum once a year with my parents. Of course as a pass - Finding Cheap Flights within Europe
Finding budget airlines within Europe is not a difficult task these days. However, a few years ago p - 7 Ways to Get the Best Deals on Airline Tickets
How is it possible that one passenger pays $350 for an airline ticket when another passenger pays al - Advice on Finding Cheap Airfare
There are many ways to find cheap airfares but sometimes you are not sure how to narrow down your ch - How to Find Cheap Flights to Las Vegas
Planning to go to the worlds largest theme park for some entertainment? Well, why not also consider - Save Big Bucks on Airfare
You can save money on your airfare if you know where to look and how to shop. Seat prices vary, so m