Cover image via imgur.com
On 24 March, after a German flight crashed in the French Alps, killing all 150 people onboard, several netizens took to Twitter to express their condolances and wondered whether plane crashes have become common in recent times. It was, after all, the fifth crash in just over a year to result in more than 100 fatalities.
While planes are considered the safest mode of transport, with the disappearance of MH370 in March 2014, including the shot-down MH17 in July and various other crashes making headlines, it feels like the last 15 months has seen more plane crashes than ever.
However, on the contrary, 2014 was actually the safest on record for total number of crashes, according to the Aviation Safety Network (ASN). There were a total of 21 crashes in 2014, including MH370, which has yet to be found but is presumed to have crashed over the Indian Ocean. 21 is the lowest number of commercial plane crashes since at least 1946, the Slate reported citing a ASN infographic.
Image via ASN
However, as Bustle notes, common consensus will likely tell you that 2014 was not a good year for flying, especially on MAS. Since vanishing on 8 March 2014, MH370 has become one of the most perplexing mysteries in recent history, as no hint of the plane has been found to this day, despite exhaustive searches. The 227 passengers and 12 crew members are all presumed dead.
Then, just four months later, Flight MH17 was shot down by pro-Russian separatists near the Ukrainian-Russian border. None of the 298 people onboard survived. That same week, another TransAsia Airways flight went down, killing 48 people in Taiwan, and Air Algerie Flight 5017 crashed in Mali, killing all 116 people onboard. And right before the year ended, Air Asia Flight QZ8501 went down the Java Sea off Borneo, killing all 162 people onboard.
Image via BBC
While air travelers might be concerned about the global aviation safety net, and may wonder if, statistically, the skies are getting more dangerous. However, it isn't so. Just look carefully at the big picture. In the last 70 years, there were numerous years that saw far greater commercial plane crashes and deaths.
Meanwhile, "the six reported fatal commercial crashes since the start of the year would put 2015 on pace to surpass the 2014 number of total crashes, and at least 236 people have reportedly died so far in plane crashes this year. If those numbers were to continue at a similar rate, 2015 would also surpass 2014 in fatalities.
The thing to remember about these incidents, however, is that while the risk of dying in a plane crash seems to be on the rise in the past 15 months, it is still vanishingly small and actually an improvement on historic records," reports the Slate.
The safest years since 1946 have 11 to 21 accidents per year and 224 to 627 annual deaths. So is that the best we can expect from the global aviation safety net?
While it's not attainable to have absolutely zero accidents, there's always work to do in safety. We can always improve.
Experts attribute the impressive recent safety record to improved technology, better communication and smarter procedures and management systems.
