Which airplanes do you trust your life with? Which airplanes do you not trust your life with? Please explain?

Question

Millions of airplanes fly the friendly skies everyday.

Which airplanes do you feel safest on? Which airplanes do you feel least safest on? There should be a reason. Lengthy explanations welcomed and encouraged.

Thanks, Tim

Answer 1

The only plane that I would not get in is the The Mitsubishi MU-2
Twin turboprop
Out of 700 made, 111 have crashed, 116 people have lost their lives.
Faa has just NOW required "special training" for MU-2 pilots.
In my (and others) opinion I believe you should be required to have a type rating for this plane.

Answer 2

I am probably more concerned with the airlines rather than the aircraft. I tend to feel safer with more established airlines that are doing well financially. Also, there are a few airlines that have a better record than others. There are even a few airlines that have NEVER had a fatal accident. But, when it comes to aircraft I think newer is better. When I board an aircraft (whether it is Boeing or Airbus) I look at the entry way doors. If the inner part of the door is very dirty and greasy I don't feel so great. But if it is obviously new and very clean and well-maintained I feel a little better. I also look at the wings. If the wings have streaks of oil on them or chipped paint or obvious signs of wear I do not feel very safe. But if the aircraft is clean and well-maintained I feel much safer. I like Airbus A320, A318, Boeing 777, Boeing 767. I DO NOT like MD-80 (they're old and need too many repairs).

Answer 3

Trust 747, A320, A340, BAe 146, 757, 767, 777
Distrust 737

Basically intercontinental with 4 engines, inside the US I'm happy enough with two.

I don't think Boeing have ever got to the bottom of the 737 reversed rudder actuation issue and I don't believe the ETOPS decision was reasonable. I'd hate to be on a 777 half way between northern Greenland and Seattle (I have flown over Prince of Wales Island in a 747) when an engine failed.

Answer 4

I don't know abt the safest part, since almost all of today's aircrafts r safe. But i DEFINITELY would NOT get into 1, n that is the MiG-21 fighter, even though it is widely used n acclaimed.

The Indian Air Force has lots of these (anyone having the exact figure ?) in its fleet and, believe it or not, abt 80 of them have crashed or malfunctioned since Aug '05. They have also been aptly named the "Flying Coffins" here. I dunno if they might not have been maintained properly, but i don't think that would result in so many crashes, at least when we consider it is highly praised by some countries.

Although the technicalities of the failures r still unclear, I still dread that thing...

Anyways, an interesting ques u have got there, I would love to have an official answer from some biggies...

Answer 5

There are a lot of factors that determine the safety of a flight such as the pilots, operating company, maintenance and aircraft manufacturer. Since the FAA and NTSB spend so much time reviewing accidents and creating fixes for issues with the manufacturers, this factor is one of the least significant.

Pilot experience in total as well as in the specific aircraft type have the greatest impact on a safe flight. There is great statistical data demonstrating a steep decline in aircraft accidents when both the pilot and copilot have a combined 300 flight hours of experience in type.

Here are some articles and Web sites to review:
http://www.jets.com/Jet_Card.aspx
http://www.aviationresearch.com/

Answer 6

I would feel safest in a plane, specifically Airbus. Reason for this is that Airbus has many fail-safe devices built into its system. I don't know how true this is... but I have been told that Airbus A340 can even land itself! This is is really comforting to know, just in case the pilots all suffer from heart attack during a flight.

All that aside, being the thrill seeker I am, I really enjoy flying my Helicopter.

Answer 7

Like most answers already here pretty much everything currently flying is safe as long as the maintainers and aircrew are well trained. One of biggest concerns with Airbus is that everything is computer controlled, including the toilets. 2 out of 3 computers over-ride the third even if 2 are wrong. Pilot gets very little over-riding authority. That said most systems fail so rarely it makes little difference.

Answer 8

The best General aviation all round light plane is the Cessna 172.
This plane I trust.
The worst is the De Havilland Tiger Moth. Death trap with the worst engine in history.
This plane I would not recomend.
My favorite plane is the Extra 300. after I flew it I knew there was nothing better, Short of a P51 or a Spitfire, but thats out of my budget.

Answer 9

Any as long as they have been properly maintained, and have a decent Pilot.
I've flown on everything from Cropdusters to Super Heavy Cargo Transports. It's all down to the pilot and the Maintainers. Although given the choice between a plane and a Helo? I'll take the plane every time.

Answer 10

I prefer to fly on jets versus turboprops especially if the weather is bad. They say that turboprops fly below the clouds so the flight tends to be more rough while jets fly above the clouds. Also the inside of turboprop flights are loud.

I would also prefer to fly on either Boeing or Airbus aircraft for larger planes and will fly Bombardier or Embraer for regional jets. The reason is because these manufacturers still make airplanes and therefore their parts should still be easy to buy.

Ultimately the most important thing is that the aircraft is properly maintained. Even if the airplane is new, if the airline does not properly take care of the aircraft, it will lose its airworthiness.