III: US Commercial Aviation Is Safe
The incredible emergency landing of US Airways Airbus A-320 into New York City's Hudson River and the subsequent rescue of all passengers had the nation gripped on Thursday. Amidst what could have been a disaster, the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), a non-profit, communications organization supported by the insurance industry, is pleased to report on the remarkable safety record of the U.S. commercial aviation industry in 2007, the most recent year for which information is available.
The number of commercial aviation accidents on scheduled flights with 10 or more seats, stood at less than one per 100,000 flight hours, the NTSB reported at year-end 2007. Moreover, in that same year, even though there were 24 accidents on scheduled, commercial flights, not one of them involved a fatality.
In addition, the odds of dying in an aircraft accident in 2005 were about one in 502,554, the 2009 I.I.I. Insurance Fact Book reports. Motor vehicle crashes are by far the leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States, followed, in order, by assault by firearm, motorcycle riding, exposure to smoke, fire and flames, and falling on or from stairs and steps. Air and space transport accidents placed sixth on that list.
Published on January 19, 2009
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