When was the last airline disaster?

The United States' last fatal accident was in 2009, when Colgan Air flight 3407 crashed while flying from Newark to Buffalo, killing everyone onboard. The NTSB investigation declared it to be pilot error, citing pilot fatigue as a factor.



As of early March 2026, the most recent significant aviation incidents occurred in February 2026. These included a fatal crash of an Indonesian Air Transport ATR 42-512 in Sulawesi, which resulted in the loss of 10 lives, and a domestic cargo flight in the United States involving an Embraer EMB 110 that claimed both crew members. 2025 also saw several major tragedies, most notably the Air India Flight 171 crash into a medical college in June 2025, which was the first total loss of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Additionally, the Potomac River mid-air collision in early 2025 involving a Bombardier CRJ700 remains one of the deadliest recent events in U.S. airspace. While these events are tragic, 2026 data continues to show that commercial aviation remains the safest mode of long-distance transport per million miles traveled.

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The United States' last fatal accident was in 2009, when Colgan Air flight 3407 crashed while flying from Newark to Buffalo, killing everyone onboard. The NTSB investigation declared it to be pilot error, citing pilot fatigue as a factor.

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Recent Aviation Crashes
  • Cessna Plane Crash Near Boulder, Colorado Kills Four | July 17, 2022.
  • Four Killed in New Mexico Helicopter Crash| July 16, 2022.
  • Son of Former Los Angeles Dodger Steve Sax Among Five Marines Killed in Osprey Crash| June 20, 2022.
  • Six Injured in Hawaii Tour Helicopter Crash| June 8, 2022.


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September 24, 2023 A single-engine Beechcraft BE23 crashed in a field near Roger M Dreyer Memorial Airport in Gonzales, Texas, around 7:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, September 24. Only the pilot was on board. The FAA and NTSB will investigate.

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Your chances of being involved in a fatal plane crash are incredibly small – around 1 in 11 million, according to Harvard researchers. While your odds of being in a plane accident are about 1 in 1.2 million, survivability rates are about 95.7% – so the odds are with you no matter how you look at it.

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Ryanair has been recognized for its safety Ryanair has a safety rating of 7 out of 7 from AirlineRatings.com. Ryanair was named one of AirlineRatings.com's Top Ten Safest Low-Cost Airlines for 2022.

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Flying Is Only Getting Safer Over Time Global flight accident rates have been steadily declining over the years for a number of reasons, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

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On average, there are 1,662 plane crashes per year. There are roughly 938 small plane crashes per year (planes under 12,500 lbs). Taxiing planes leads to 54 accidents, 4 deaths, and 24 accidents per year. There are up to 90,000,000 flight hours logged per year globally.

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As per the officials, there is a commercial plane crash every 16.7 million flights. It means for every 1,000,000 flights, 0.06 planes crash. The aviation authorities have implemented strict safety protocols which have reduced plane crashes by roughly 5.3 % per year over the past 20 years.

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Running since 1929, Hawaiian is among the oldest airlines in the world but, remarkably, it has never suffered a single fatal crash or hull loss.

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The U.S. leads both the number of plane crashes and fatalities by a wide margin because air traffic in the country is far higher than in other countries.

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The top 10 safest airlines 2023
  • Qantas.
  • Air New Zealand.
  • Etihad Airways.
  • Qatar Airways.
  • Singapore Airlines.
  • TAP Air Portugal.
  • Emirates.
  • Alaska Airlines.


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U.S. government data revealed that 95.7 percent of the passengers involved in airplane accidents between 1983 and 2000 survived.

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After all, plane accidents, in general, have a 95% survival rate.

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Aircraft age is not a safety factor. However, if the aircraft is older and hasn't been refurbished properly, it may cause flyers some inconvenience such as overheating, faulty air conditioning, or faulty plumbing in the lavatory. More important than an aircraft's age is its history.

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The most important thing to know is that turbulence isn't dangerous. It might be a bit uncomfortable, but your plane is built to handle the worst. Even in the most severe turbulence, your plane isn't moving nearly as much as you think! Much of how we experience turbulence is subjective.

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Air travel operates on well-defined, standardized procedures that minimize the potential for human error. From takeoff to landing, these procedures contribute to a safe and predictable aviation environment. This is much different than automobile traffic going into and out of a country.

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Ryanair's low fares are a result of clever cost-cutting tactics, such as eliminating in-flight amenities, using cheaper secondary airports, and charging for extras like drinks and snacks.

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1. Singapore Airlines: The Singapore flag-carrier has been named Airline of the Year at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2023 in Paris. Click through the gallery to see the best of the rest.

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Ryanair is one of the world's most successful airlines and their pilots are highly-trained professionals. The airline has an impressive safety record and their pilots provide a safe and comfortable experience for passengers.

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