What Are the Causes of Airline Accidents?
When a commercial airplane crashes, the people involved want to know why. While there are many reasons for aviation accidents, patterns emerge when looking at the majority of incidents.
Some of these include:
Human Error
Airplanes are extremely complex, and those who pilot them require a great deal of training and professional experience to handle all possible situations.
Still, pilots are actively engaged with their aircraft at every stage of the flight, so there are continual opportunities for mistakes, and even with extensive flying experience and the ability to think and act quickly, catastrophic accidents can still happen.
According to the Pilot Institute, operator error is the leading cause of plane crashes and, in 2020, nearly 70% of all general aviation accidents were caused by this factor. It’s also notable that there were 1,277 accidents involving U.S. registered civilian aircraft (privately owned planes) in 2022, including 358 deaths, according to the National Safety Council.
Some of the most common pilot errors can include:
- Incorrect flight management programming
- Miscalculating the required amount of fuel
- Inadequate preflight inspection or planning
- Failure to abide by rules and checklists
Pilots aren’t the only ones who can make mistakes that contribute to an accident. Air traffic controllers, dispatchers, loaders, fuelers, and maintenance engineers can also make mistakes, and all can be held liable if an accident happens due to their negligence.