If you know someone with their own plane or ever have the opportunity to go up in a small commuter plane, safety concerns will no-doubt cross your mind. Small planes get a bad rap for being unsafe, as we often see aviation accidents involving them. But are they really any less safe than large airliners?
According to PlaneCrashInfo.com and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the smallest registered passenger aircraft of all—used in general aviation flights—accounts for 22.43 fatalities per million flight hours, more than any other type of passenger aircraft. Airliners, on the other hand, are far safer, with 4.03 fatalities per million flight hours.
Still, the odds of being involved in a fatal plane crash are very slim. Of 78 major world airlines, the risk of being involved in a fatal crash is 1 in 3.4 million.
When small aircraft accidents happen they usually are not front page news. Most recently, one occurred in Santa Monica. According to CNN, a small twin-engine Cessna Citation ran off the side of the runway when a tire popped. The plane crashed into a hangar and exploded.
It isn’t clear how many people were on board at the time of the crash, but officials say it was an unsurvivable accident.
Investigators from the NTSB arrived soon after the crash, but were unable to reach the aircraft for several hours due to the residual heat from the extinguished blaze.
Could this accident have been prevented? We may never know. Perhaps there was a flaw in the tire or a bulge that may have been spotted in a pre-take-off check. For the families of those killed on board, this question is likely to haunt them.
When you are involved in an aviation accident, you could be due compensation for your injuries.
Texas Aviation Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one was involved in an aviation accident, Houston attorney Kevin Krist may be able to help. Contact our office today for a free consultation by calling 832-924-3176 today.
