Plane Crashes?

Question

With all the plane crashes in recent years (and I don't necessarily mean the last 2 crashes) but in the last 20-25 years, it seems like planes are going down one right after anohter,
so does it bother you? I don't just mean morrally but does it make you nervous to fly anymore?
It does me. But I must confess I am a big chicken too. (Cluck, Cluck)

to Patti: yes I have heard that before but I get nervous of having to put my life ENTIRELY in someone else's hands. How do I know he didn't go partying the previous night? Or maybe he had a fight with his wife and is mad at her?
Like I said, I'm a chikcen.

Answer 1

Every plane crash is documented and shown by the media.

If every car crash was, we wouldn't even want to be near the streets.

I fly my wife, 2 year old, and six month old in a private plane to travel instead of playing russian roulette with a drunk, elderly, or sleeping driver.

Answer 2

Airplane crashes are less frequent now than they were 30 or 40 years ago. However, the total number of airplane is going up all the time, and we may come ot a time where there would be a crash every month, simply because there would be that many planes.
I attended a seminar on long term airplane safety 6 or 7 years ago, and the numbers or crashes are getting larger despite the probability getting less. What is needed then is a quantum leap in the safety, and that can only be done one way. We know that each crash teaches us a lesson, one of which is that on average an airplane crash is the consequence of 5 or 6 unrelated events teaming together; but we now need to learn from those events that did not result into a crash, maybe not even in a reported incident. The way to do that is to look at everything, download and analyze every fligth data recorder on a routine basis, and look for anything that could indicate the possibility of a problem. The example given by the FAA keynote speaker at that time was that of a pilot programming the autopilot twice in 2 minutes. Why would a pilot do that? Because the light was poor and he could not tell the buttons from one another on the keypad, but he caught in time and reprogrammed it. OK, so no incident that time, but this shous one thing: we should improve the lighting in that type of aircraft, maybe, before someone really programs it wrongly and does not notice and the airplane goes where it should not. And we would not have found out about this reprogramming issue if no one was casually looking at the data from what was seemingly a perfect, uneventful flight.

Trust me, the aerospace industry is working hard to make airplane travel safer. It hurts our business each time an airplane crashes, and we do hate seeing people getting hurt.

Answer 3

Really worried about the plane crash incidents!! Airbus A321 that crashed with 224 passengers onboard in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula region, broke into two pieces mid-air, according to a Russian aviation expert.All 224 people onboard were killed and the debris scattered over approximately 20km² in a mountainous region.The plane was said to be flying at an altitude of 30,000ft. Its a very difficult situation for the relatives of those passengers in that plane crash..

Answer 4

Looking at the news, it does seem that there are more plane crashes in resent years. However, the news does not tell you that not only are there more planes in the sky today compared to 10 years ago, but also every plane is flying much more often then 10 years ago as well.
the equipment is being upgraded, and trust me aircraft are much safer now then they were a while back, it's just the volume that is going up at a fast rate.

Answer 5

Somebody else has already touched on this but------------The media has a field day when an aircraft crashes. You ARE going to hear about it. They make a living by showing the smoking hole and the grieving relatives. They do NOT however, even bother to cover a major head on crash on the freeway unless it involves a school bus or something sensational to broadcast. Our highways are sooooooo much more dangerous than flying, but unfortunately, the media makes hay when one has a problem. In the US, each year there are about 40,000 deaths per year in automobile accidents vs. about 200 in air transport. You are far safer in flight than going to the grocery store down the street in your car. As my boss used to say when we arrived at the airport, "well, that was the dangerous part!". He was correct.

Answer 6

I'm an air traffic controller and was in the Marines back in the day. That's when I got to witness 2 crashes - of course they were helicopters but still...

I love aviation - even learned how to fly last year. Even though it is in my blood I still get a little nervous sometimes. My best suggestion is to always fly in a window seat. That way if a plane is going to crash you can at least see it coming. Could you imagine being stuck in the middle rows of a 747? No windows. I would hate the sensation of knowing you are going down but not being able to brace mentally for the impact. In an imminent crash, that fear of the unknown would terrify me.

Answer 7

The reason it seems, to be more is there are more flights.
The pilots have strict regulations to follow. If they are caught breaking them there is little room for forgiveness.
You are much safer flying than driving to pick up groceries.
All of the people from the pilots to the mechanics are highly trained and want that plane in the air.
I fly a lot, I am an aerobatic pilot. I have had to avoid many drivers who believe the road is theirs.
I have yet to swerve away from another plane.
Trust the pilots. They have a lot of experience and training.

Answer 8

Compared to the number of flights a day, plane crashes are pretty rare. There is more chance of being in a car crash than a plane crash (but you knew that already didn't you). Flying doesn't bother me in the least.
****
most pilots are professionals, yes some do party (they are human after all) but most of them worked too hard to get where they are to jeopardize it by being stupid. Would I put my life in the hands of a pilot before someone with a drivers licence?? You bet ya.

Answer 9

One of the ways to overcome the fear of flying is to go to your local FBO and take a flying lesson. People who are afraid to fly resist this idea vigorously when I suggest it to them. I am a USAF Instructor Pilot and licensed Airline Transport Pilot with almost 4,000 hours of flight time and I have encountered many different types of student pilots, including some that were afraid to fly. A great part of people's fears of flying is because they don't understand it, they don't understand the noises they hear, the sensations they feel, etc. Take a single introductory flight lesson and you will understand it quite a bit more.

The things that you hear about in the news are the extremely rare events. Go to any major international airport and park somewhere where you can see the airplanes land and takeoff. In a single hour you can easily see 100 or more airplanes takeoff and land. Now consider the fact that there are literally hundreds of airports like that around the world, not including GA only airports, and you get an idea of just how safe aviation really is. In fact, you are more likely to die from an accident inside your own home then you are in an airplane. You are more than 100 times more likely to die in an accident driving to or from the airport than you are in an airplane accident.

As far as pilot training is concerned, we routinely have to go through simulator training in which the simulator instructors throw multiple emergencies at us to solve in a single flight. Simulators are never fun for pilots; they are lessons learned by getting kicked in the teeth. Pilots dread having to go through simulators but are always glad they went through them; they make better pilots out of us. In the real world, I have had lots of emergencies take place and I very safely landed every time. I have shelled engines, had an engine fire once, had fuel leaks in which the fuel was spraying out more vigorously than a firehose, numerous hydraulic system failures, numerous electrical emergencies, numerous flap, slat, and landing gear malfunctions, etc. As pilots, we are thoroughly trained on how to deal with such emergencies. The fact is, you are extremely safe in an airplane, no matter what a sensational news media (and they are all sensational) says.

Answer 10

The way I look at it is, everything may crash. But I work with Pilots and Fligt attendants everyday. And legally they can't fly the plane with in 8 hours of flights. So everything in lifeis a chance anymore. Other than to live scared of the outside world you got to take chance.