Multiple high profile aviation accidents over the last several months (AA 5342 at DCA, Bell 206 in the Hudson, and the Philadelphia Learjet) have propelled the idea that aviation safety is somehow in crisis. The American Airlines crash put this years’ fatality count for US Air Carrier (121) passenger stats at the highest ever since 2009 (67), when a Dash 8 crashed on final approach at Buffalo-Niagara killing all 45 passengers on board.

Including General Aviation crash data, the American Airlines crash propelled this year’s fatality count to the highest on record year-to-date (YTD) at 138.

However, looking at it from the number of incidents paints a different picture, namely one of ever-decreasing incidents (!) even though as we saw in an earlier post, flight hours continues to rise for GA (up 13% since 2018).

These trends in the number of aviation accidents (vs. the number of fatalities) are encouraging and testament to the effort all stakeholders have put forth into monitoring and improving maintenance and safety processes.

We can attest to these trends within GA—for example many shortcuts that were considered the norm twenty years ago are no longer acceptable practices. As we’ve often said, the rise in complexity within aviation is one in which processes—and especially software—can play a useful role in simplifying everything we have to track, monitor, and do as maintenance professionals. An organized workflow goes a long way in tackling the daily "circus act" of making it all work.

In the words of Mark Rosenker, former Chairman of the NTSB:

“Aviation is one of the most regulated and audited industries that I can think of—and you want this. It is because there is so much oversight, so much professionalism, so many skilled experienced people — from maintainers, pilots, to controllers—all of them part of a team that give us the greatest safety record in modal transportation.”

We agree.

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