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According to a top air safety specialist, commercial air travel in 2023 was safer than in any previous year, with the lowest number of accidents and fatalities on record.
There were only two deadly crashes in the last year, whereas there were six in 2022.
In both incidents, airplanes with propellers crashed on domestic flights, resulting in a combined 86 fatalities. This is less than half of the 178 deaths that occurred in 2023. To put this in perspective, the latest UN data states that an average of 148 people die every hour on roads around the world.
There were no deadly plane crashes involving international flights or commercial airliners.
According to a safety evaluation conducted by senior aviation consultant Adrian Young for the Dutch air-safety organization To70, the amount of accidents and deaths has reached an all-time low.
The mortality rate from accidents was lower than one in every 15 million flights, which is three times better than the average over the past 10 years.
The initial and most fatal collision occurred on 15 January 2023 in Nepal. A Yeti Airlines ATR-72 aircraft departed from Kathmandu and operated normally until it crashed into a gorge just one mile away from the runway.
Following the investigation, it was determined that the demanding workload and stress on the flight deck were to blame.
According to Mr. Young, the accident report showed that the pilots’ actions caused both propellers to feather, resulting in a loss of thrust and ultimately leading to an aerodynamic stall.
On 16 September 2023, a tragic incident occurred in Brazil when a Manaus Airlines Embraer 110 crashed during a flight from the city of Manaus to Barcelos in unfavorable weather conditions. Sadly, all 14 passengers and crew onboard lost their lives.
According to Mr. Young, the safety of jet aircraft has replicated the improbable triumph seen in 2017.
“As we enter the new year and reflect on the events of 2023, we find that the civil aviation industry is in a comparable state to that of 2017, with no reported incidents of fatal accidents involving large turbofan-powered commercial passenger planes,” the author states. This classification includes a wide range of aircraft, from commuter jets typically used at London City airport to the Airbus A380 “SuperJumbo”.
The infamous incident involving a personal aircraft transporting the leader of Russia’s Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has been ruled out.
On August 23, 2023, a flight from Moscow to St Petersburg ended in a plane crash, resulting in the death of all 10 individuals on board. According to reports, an associate of Vladimir Putin was allegedly responsible for planting a bomb on the Embraer 135 plane.
According to international law, countries must include the country where the plane was manufactured, in this situation Brazil. However, Russia has declined to involve Brazilian officials or the aircraft company in the investigation. Mr. Young believes this is an unfavorable decision that contradicts the cooperative approach of accident investigations and does not aid in the main objective of learning from accidents.
The safety specialist cautions about “various occurrences and non-deadly mishaps that demand the industry to stay alert.”
The author states: “Even if the accident rate in 2023 is low, we should not become complacent.”
The aviation industry continues to be high-risk and although airports worldwide are seeing a return to pre-pandemic levels of activity, there are still numerous unresolved issues.
“Serious injuries caused by turbulence continue to be a significant factor in accidents throughout the year.”
On Christmas Eve, a charter flight from Barbados to Manchester experienced clear air turbulence over the Atlantic, resulting in injuries for eleven passengers on board the Airbus A330. The plane had to divert to Bermuda.
This year marks the 10th year since the two unfortunate incidents involving Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 777 planes.
On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished during a regular trip from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. It is believed that the aircraft crashed in the Indian Ocean, west of Australia. Despite extensive efforts, no evidence has been located of the 227 passengers and 12 crew members.
On July 17, 2014, a Russian missile launched from rebel-controlled land in eastern Ukraine caused the crash of flight MH17 on its route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Tragically, all 298 individuals on board, including passengers and crew, lost their lives.
Source: independent.co.uk
