12/7/2020 Accident statistics

STATISTICS

Causes of Fatal Accidents by Decade

The first table below was complied from the PlaneCrashInfo.com database, representing 1,085 accidents where a cause could be determined .

The following accident records qualified:

- Dates from 1/1/1950 to 6/30/2019
- Aircraft capable of carrying at least 19 passengers
- Accidents with at least 2 fatalities
- Military, helicopters and private aircraft excluded

The cause of accidents were broken down into five categories: Pilot Error, Mechanical, Weather, Sabotage and Other. Some examples of each ca
found below. Since most aviation accidents are caused by multiple causes the primary or initiating cause was chosen.

PILOT ERROR MECHANICIAL WEATHER SABOTAGE OTHER

Improper procedure Engine failure Severe turbulence Hijacking ATC error
Flying VFR into IFR conditions Equipment failure Windshear Shot down Ground crew error
Controlled flight into terrain Structural failure Mountain wave Explosive device aboard Overloaded
Descending below minima Design flaw Poor visibility Pilot suicide Improperly loaded cargo
Spatial disorientation Heavy rain Bird strike
Premature descent Severe winds Fuel contamination
Excessive landing speed Icing Pilot incapacitation
Missed runway Thunderstorms Obstruction on runway
Fuel starvation Lightning strike Midair collision caused by other
Navigation error Fire/smoke in flight (cabin, cock
Wrong runway takeoff/landing Maintenance error
Midair collision caused by primary pilot

CAUSES OF FATAL ACCIDENTS BY DECADE

DECADE 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s All

Pilot Error 50% 53% 49% 42% 49% 50% 57% 49%

Mechanical 26% 27% 19% 22% 22% 23% 21% 23%

Weather 15% 7% 10% 14% 7% 8% 10% 10%

Sabotage 4% 4% 9% 12% 8% 9% 8% 8%

Other 5% 9% 13% 10% 14% 10% 4% 10%

RAW DATA

Cause 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s All

Pilot Error 82 119 112 67 77 48 28 533

Mechanical 43 62 45 36 35 22 10 253

Weather 25 15 22 22 10 8 5 107

Sabotage 6 9 20 20 13 9 4 81

Other 9 21 31 16 22 10 2 111

165 226 230 161 157 97 49 1,085

Source:
PlaneCrashinfo.com

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Source PlaneCrashInfo.com

Source: PlaneCrashinfo.com

Fatalities by Phase of Flight

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Source: Statistical Summary of Commercial Jet Airplane Accidents, 1959 - 2008, Boeing

Which type of flying is safer

Type of Flight
Fatalities per million flight hours

Airliner (Scheduled and nonscheduled Part 121) 0.00597

Commuter Airline (Scheduled Part 135) 6.10

General Aviation (private Part 91) 11.00

Bureau of Transportation
Statistics

Odds of being involved in a fatal accident

Odds of being on a fight that Odds being killed on a

results in at least one fatality single flight

Flying on airlines with good

1 in 10 million 1 in 19.8 million
safety records

Flying on airlines with poor

1 in 1.5 million 1 in 2.0 million
safety records

Source: OAG Aviation & PlaneCrashInfo.com accident database, 20 years of data (1993 - 2012)

Survival rate of passengers on aircraft involved in fatal accidents

carrying 19+ passengers

Decade % surviving
1940s 24
1950s 25
1960s 21
1970s 25
1980s 36
1990s 39
2000s 28
2010s 27

Survival rate of 42%

passengers on aircraft

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ditching in controlled
flight

Source: PlaneCrashInfo.com accident database

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