Although the catastrophic thought has crossed your mind when you’re holding on to your seat as your aviophobia hits, Harvard research shows that remote chances of plane crashes are one in 1.2 million. The odds of fatal flight accidents are even slimmer at one in 11 million. In the same vein, recent findings from the International Civil Aviation Organization reconfirm that air travel is the safest mode of transportation, with a 9.8% decrease in the global accident rate as of 2022.
Although accidents on air are extremely rare, their devastating impact remains the same when you wind up in one.
Types of aviation accidents
More than just airplanes, aviation accidents cover a wide range of areas. You can end up in incidents related to:
- Drones
- Helicopters
- Rockets
- Military aircraft
- Banner aircraft
- Skydiving
- Gliders
- Balloons
Even if the chances of dying in a car collision are more likely at one in 5,000, any air transport’s sheer size and weight are too daunting not to cause general fear.
Potential causes of aviation accidents
The National Transportation Safety Board reveals that flight accidents in Florida mostly happen during landing due to system or component failure. But aside from mechanical malfunctions, there are other reasons for aviation disasters, including but not limited to:
- Pilot error: Lack of adequate training and experience, inebriation, exhaustion, illness, inaccurate programming of flight management computer, fuel miscalculations and hijacker sabotage
- Air traffic control error: Lack of proper coordination about take-offs and landings
- Weather disturbances: Harsh weather conditions such as turbulent wind, snow, fog and rain
- Violation of Federal Aviation Administration regulations: Insufficient fuel reserves, incorrect runway and deviating from altitude
The causes of aviation accidents are as complex as the humans and machines operating together behind them. It is also possible that a combination of these reasons causes a deadly air crash.
Flying to safety
Given an aviation accident’s technical circumstances, having an invaluable legal resource can help you investigate the incident’s causes. You may also seek guidance in dealing with personal injury claims and other insurance coverage issues if you sustained severe injuries or harm.