Is it too dangerous to fly?
The question is one on many people’s minds after numerous high-profile aviation crashes in the last few months.
Last month, an American Airlines regional plane and Army Blackhawk helicopter collided and crashed into the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing 67 people.
Nearly three weeks later, a Delta Air Lines plane crashed on the runway of a Toronto airport, but all 80 people on board survived. In December, a South Korean plane crashed at a Muan airport, killing 179 people with two survivors.
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Although it may seem like more plane crashes are happening, Joe Fahan, a retired Delta captain, said people have nothing to worry about.
"The number of fatalities hasn’t increased. It’s just that it’s in the public eye now," Fahan said. "And anything that you’re focused on, you’re going to notice it more."
The odds of someone dying in a car crash are one in 95, according to the National Safety Council’s 2023 data. The odds of dying in a plane crash were too small to calculate.
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Fahan said flying remains the safest method of transportation, but he feels for anxious fliers.
“People are understandably nervous, and that’s a valid feeling. I recognize that,” Fahan said. “But, I’m no less willing to get on an airplane today than I was a month ago, so I hope that other people can come to feel that same way.”
Should you be worried about aborted landings?
Two major U.S. airports — DCA and Chicago Midway International Airport — reported close calls Wednesday morning when an arriving plane had to defer initial landing to avoid colliding with another aircraft.
At the National Airport, air traffic control instructed the pilots of the American Airlines flight from Boston to perform a “go-around.” The plane landed safely at the airport several minutes later.
Stephen Abraham, a former air traffic controller, said a “go-around” is an aborted landing by an arriving airplane. He said it is a routine operation for controllers and the flight crew, and the maneuver happens at busy airports every day.
“It’s very difficult for people to distinguish something that is routine, like a go-around, and an accident,” Abraham said.
Abraham said the Potomac plane crash was the first fatal aviation accident in more than a decade, while go-arounds occur daily.
For those nervous about flying, Fahan recommended going to the cockpit and talking to the pilots before takeoff. He said a conversation with pilots beforehand can help reassure passengers.
