Table 2-9: U.S. Air Carrier(a) Safety Data
1960 | 1965 | 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | (R) 2013 | (P) 2014 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total fatalities | 499 | 261 | 146 | 124 | 1 | 526 | 39 | 50 | 33 | 1 | 239 | 168 | 380 | 8 | 1 | 12 | 92 | 531 | 0 | 22 | 14 | 22 | 50 | 1 | 3 | 52 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
Total seriously injured persons | N | N | 107 | 81 | 19 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 31 | 25 | 77 | 43 | 30 | 67 | 31 | 19 | 24 | 31 | 20 | 14 | 9 | 16 | (R) 26 | 23 | (R) 17 | 20 | 18 | 9 | 14 |
Total accidents | 90 | 83 | 55 | 37 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 18 | 23 | 23 | 36 | 37 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 56 | 46 | 41 | 54 | 30 | 40 | 33 | 28 | 28 | 30 | (R) 30 | 31 | 27 | 23 | 28 |
Fatal accidents | 17 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Aircraft-miles (millions) | 1,130 | 1,536 | 2,685 | 2,478 | 2,924 | 3,631 | 4,948 | 4,825 | 5,039 | 5,249 | 5,478 | 5,654 | 5,873 | 6,697 | 6,737 | 7,101 | 7,524 | 7,294 | 7,193 | 7,280 | 7,930 | 8,166 | 8,139 | 8,316 | 8,068 | 7,466 | 7,598 | 7,714 | (R) 7,660 | 7,660 | 7,657 |
Rates per 100 million aircraft-miles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fatalities | 44.159 | 16.992 | 5.438 | 5.004 | 0.034 | 14.486 | 0.788 | 1.036 | 0.655 | 0.019 | 4.363 | 2.971 | 6.470 | 0.119 | 0.015 | 0.169 | 1.223 | 7.280 | 0.000 | 0.302 | 0.177 | 0.269 | 0.614 | 0.012 | 0.037 | 0.697 | 0.026 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.117 | 0.000 |
Seriously injured persons | N | N | 3.985 | 3.269 | 0.650 | 0.826 | 0.586 | 0.539 | 0.437 | 0.362 | 0.566 | 0.442 | 1.311 | 0.642 | 0.445 | 0.943 | 0.412 | 0.260 | 0.334 | 0.426 | 0.252 | 0.171 | 0.111 | 0.192 | (R) 0.322 | 0.308 | (R) 0.224 | 0.259 | (R) 0.235 | 0.117 | 0.183 |
Total accidents | 7.965 | 5.404 | 2.048 | 1.493 | 0.650 | 0.578 | 0.485 | 0.539 | 0.357 | 0.438 | 0.420 | 0.637 | 0.630 | 0.732 | 0.742 | 0.718 | 0.744 | 0.631 | 0.570 | 0.742 | 0.378 | 0.490 | 0.405 | 0.337 | 0.347 | 0.402 | 0.395 | 0.402 | (R) 0.352 | 0.300 | 0.366 |
Total accidents, fatal | 1.504 | 0.586 | 0.298 | 0.121 | 0.034 | 0.193 | 0.121 | 0.083 | 0.079 | 0.019 | 0.073 | 0.053 | 0.085 | 0.060 | 0.015 | 0.028 | 0.040 | 0.082 | 0.000 | 0.027 | 0.025 | 0.037 | 0.025 | 0.012 | 0.025 | 0.027 | 0.013 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.026 | 0.000 |
Aircraft departures (thousands) | N | N | N | N | 5,479 | 6,307 | 8,092 | 7,815 | 7,881 | 8,073 | 8,238 | 8,457 | 8,229 | 10,318 | 10,980 | 11,309 | 11,468 | 10,955 | 10,508 | 10,433 | 11,023 | 11,130 | 10,821 | 10,928 | 10,448 | 9,705 | 9,634 | 9,584 | 9,391 | 9,266 | 9,008 |
Rates per 100,000 aircraft departures | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fatalities | N | N | N | N | 0.018 | 8.340 | 0.482 | 0.640 | 0.419 | 0.012 | 2.901 | 1.986 | 4.618 | 0.078 | 0.009 | 0.106 | 0.802 | 4.847 | 0.000 | 0.211 | 0.127 | 0.198 | 0.462 | 0.009 | 0.029 | 0.536 | 0.021 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.097 | 0.000 |
Seriously injured persons | N | N | N | N | 0.347 | 0.476 | 0.358 | 0.333 | 0.279 | 0.235 | 0.376 | 0.296 | 0.936 | 0.417 | 0.273 | 0.592 | 0.270 | 0.173 | 0.228 | 0.297 | 0.181 | 0.126 | 0.083 | 0.146 | (R) 0.249 | 0.237 | (R) 0.176 | 0.209 | 0.192 | 0.097 | 0.155 |
Total accidents | N | N | N | N | 0.347 | 0.333 | 0.297 | 0.333 | 0.228 | 0.285 | 0.279 | 0.426 | 0.450 | 0.475 | 0.455 | 0.451 | 0.488 | 0.420 | 0.390 | 0.518 | 0.272 | 0.359 | 0.305 | 0.256 | 0.268 | 0.309 | (R) 0.311 | 0.323 | 0.288 | 0.248 | 0.311 |
Total accidents, fatal | N | N | N | N | 0.018 | 0.111 | 0.074 | 0.051 | 0.051 | 0.012 | 0.049 | 0.035 | 0.061 | 0.039 | 0.009 | 0.018 | 0.026 | 0.055 | 0.000 | 0.019 | 0.018 | 0.027 | 0.025 | 0.012 | 0.025 | 0.027 | 0.013 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.026 | 0.000 |
Flight hours (thousands) | N | 4,691 | 6,470 | 5,607 | 7,067 | 8,710 | 12,150 | 11,781 | 12,360 | 12,706 | 13,124 | 13,505 | 13,746 | 15,838 | 16,817 | 17,555 | 18,299 | 17,814 | 17,290 | 17,468 | 18,883 | 19,390 | 19,263 | 19,637 | 19,127 | 17,627 | 17,751 | 17,963 | 17,722 | 17,693 | 17,599 |
Rates per 100,000 flight hours | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fatalities | N | 5.564 | 2.257 | 2.212 | 0.014 | 6.039 | 0.321 | 0.424 | 0.267 | 0.008 | 1.821 | 1.244 | 2.764 | 0.051 | 0.006 | 0.068 | 0.503 | 2.981 | 0.000 | 0.126 | 0.074 | 0.113 | 0.260 | 0.005 | 0.016 | 0.295 | 0.011 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.051 | 0.000 |
Seriously injured persons | N | N | 1.654 | 1.445 | 0.269 | 0.344 | 0.239 | 0.221 | 0.178 | 0.150 | 0.236 | 0.185 | 0.560 | 0.271 | 0.178 | 0.382 | 0.169 | 0.107 | 0.139 | 0.177 | 0.106 | 0.072 | 0.047 | 0.081 | (R) 0.136 | 0.130 | (R) 0.096 | 0.111 | 0.102 | 0.051 | 0.080 |
Total accidents | N | 1.769 | 0.850 | 0.660 | 0.269 | 0.241 | 0.198 | 0.221 | 0.146 | 0.181 | 0.175 | 0.267 | 0.269 | 0.309 | 0.297 | 0.291 | 0.306 | 0.258 | 0.237 | 0.309 | 0.159 | 0.206 | 0.171 | 0.143 | 0.146 | 0.170 | (R) 0.169 | 0.173 | 0.152 | 0.130 | 0.159 |
Total accidents, fatal | N | 0.192 | 0.124 | 0.054 | 0.014 | 0.080 | 0.049 | 0.034 | 0.032 | 0.007 | 0.030 | 0.022 | 0.036 | 0.025 | 0.006 | 0.011 | 0.016 | 0.034 | 0.000 | 0.011 | 0.011 | 0.015 | 0.010 | 0.005 | 0.010 | 0.011 | 0.006 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.011 | 0.000 |
KEY: N = data do not exist; P = preliminary; R = revised.
a Air carriers operating under 14 CFR 121, scheduled and nonscheduled service. Includes all scheduled and nonscheduled service accidents involving all-cargo carriers and commercial operators of large aircraft when those accidents occurred during 14 CFR 121 operations. Since Mar. 20, 1997, 14 CFR 121 includes aircraft with 10 or more seats formerly operated under 14 CFR 135. This change makes it difficult to compare pre-1997 data for 14 CFR 121 and 14 CFR 135 with more recent data.
NOTES
Aircraft-miles, Aircraft departures, and Flight hours are compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration. Rates are computed by dividing the number of Fatalities, Seriously injured persons, Total accidents, and Fatal accidents by the number of Aircraft-miles, Aircraft departures, or Flight hours. These figures are based on information provided by airlines to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information. The illegal acts, such as suicide, sabotage and terrorism, are included in the totals for accidents, fatalities, and rate computation. 1991 data do not include the 12 persons killed aboard a SkyWest commuter aircraft when it and a U.S. Air aircraft collided. For 2001, fatalities resulting from the September 11 terrorist acts are excluded, other than the persons aboard the aircraft who were killed.
SOURCES
Fatalities, accidents, miles, departures, and flight hours:
1960: National Transportation Safety Board, Annual Review of Aircraft Accident Data: U.S. Air Carrier Operations, Calendar Year 1967 (Washington, DC: December 1968).
1965-70: Ibid., Calendar Year 1975, NTSB/ARC-77/1 (Washington, DC: January 1977).
1975 (all categories except miles): Ibid., Calendar Year 1983, NTSB/ARC-87/01 (Washington, DC: February 1987), table 18.
1975 (miles): Ibid., Calendar Year 1975, NTSB/ARC-77/1 (Washington, DC: January 1977 ).
1980: Ibid., Calendar Year 1981, NTSB/ARC-85/01 (Washington, DC: February 1985), tables 2 and 16.
1985-92: Ibid., Aviation Accident Statistics, table 5, available at http://www.ntsb.gov/data/aviation_stats.html as of July 19, 2012.
1993-2014: Ibid., Aviation Accident Statistics, table 5, available at http://www.ntsb.gov/data/aviation_stats.html as of Mar. 23, 2016.
Serious injuries:
1970-85: Ibid., Annual Review of Aircraft Accident Data: U.S. Air Carrier Operations (Washington, DC: Annual Issues).
1990-2014: Ibid., Analysis and Data Division, personal communication, April 2011, July 2012, August 2013, Sept. 25, 2014, April 2, 2015 and Mar. 22, 2016.