The Aviation Safety Network has released its airliner accident statistics for 2019, showing a total of 20 fatal accidents involving commercial aircraft that resulted in 283 fatalities. Despite a high-profile accident involving a Boeing 737 MAX in Ethiopia in March that resulted in 157 fatalities, 2019 was still one of the safest years on record for commercial aviation. 2017 remains the safest year in aviation history with 10 accidents and 44 lives lost. Over the past five years, there was an average of 14 accidents and 480 fatalities.
In terms of fatalities, 2019 was the third-safest year on record. Despite the number of lives lost declining, however, the number of accidents actually increased to a level above the five-year average. Last year, 13 accidents involved passenger flights and six were cargo flights with more than half of all incidents occurring in North America. According to the Aviation Safety Network, estimated global air traffic amounts to around 39 million flights which means the accident rate is one fatal accident per two million flights.
The crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 was the deadliest accident in 2019. The second-worst crash occurred in Moscow in May when an Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet burst into flames during a high-speed emergency landing with 41 of the 78 passengers and crew onboard losing their lives. The 737 MAX crash has had major repercussions for Boeing and the aircraft remains grounded amid concerns about the software in its flight control system.
Source: forbes.com
