Global: Aviation incidents versus media reports

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USA Today

Originally published March 27, 2000

Snapshot of global aviation safety

February, 2000: 20 killed, 60 hurt and 35 emergency landings

By Gary Stoller, USA TODAY

The odds of being in a fatal airline crash are small, but each one attracts heavy media coverage. The public hears little about less-serious accidents and incidents occurring almost daily worldwide.

To sample how often they happen, USA TODAY did a computer search of 2,300 publications worldwide, the Associated Press wire and aviation databases for last month's accidents and incidents.

Three findings:

An average of about three times each day, a safety-related accident, incident or threat was reported. For U.S.-based airlines, the average was at least one per day.

Airlines worldwide made at least 35 emergency landings. U.S. airlines made at least 20 of them.

The majority of incidents probably went unreported. Most countries did not show up once in USA TODAY's search. Most incidents that were found happened in the USA, one of the countries that aviation experts say has the highest safety standards.

At least one safety-related accident or incident was reported every day except Feb. 13 and Feb. 24. At least 20 people were killed. At least 60 people were injured, and hundreds were shaken up in emergency situations.

Media reports are an imperfect guide to how much happens.

Federal Aviation Administration inspectors fine or take administrative action against U.S. passenger airlines an average of at least 170 times a month for violating safety rules, FAA data shows.

Last month, the FAA issued at least 40 directives ordering airlines to inspect or correct an unsafe condition in a plane or a part.

For perspective, U.S. airlines fly about 22,000 flights a day, and foreign carriers fly thousands more flights daily. The vast majority of their passengers reach their destinations without experiencing a safety problem.

Sources for this report included Air Security International, Air Crash Rescue News and Aviation Safety Institute database.

(The "related stories" links at the website provide some situations that may have been missed on this board.)

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), March 29, 2000


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