Air travel is one of the safest forms of transportation and is used by millions of people around the world every day, but it took many years and, unfortunately, human sacrifice to develop and implement the necessary changes in aviation laws and regulations.
According to the latest estimates, more than one hundred thousand flights are made every day in the world. This figure includes all types of flights, including passenger, cargo and military flights. On the other hand, approximately 12 million passengers are safely transported to their destinations every day. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts that the world’s airlines will carry 4.7 billion passengers next year, an all-time high.
According to IATA, almost half of people’s travel habits have returned to pre-pandemic levels. A third of the people surveyed say that they now travel more often, but only 18% say they still travel less often.
The Australian airline “Qantas” was recognized as the safest airline of 2023. It was founded in 1920 and is also the world’s oldest and most experienced airline. Hawaiian Airlines, which has been operating since 1929, is also one of the safest air carriers in the industry, boasting that it has not experienced a single plane crash in its nearly one hundred years of existence.
It should be noted that the first disaster in the history of aviation occurred on September 17, 1908 in America, in the state of Wyoming, during demonstrations. Pilot Orville Wright, who along with his brother Wilbur is one of the founders of aviation, was seriously injured, while one of the observers of this flight on the ground was killed.
The first disaster with more than a hundred victims
On June 30, 1956, two planes that had taken off from Los Angeles International Airport collided in the sky above the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The United Airlines plane was bound for Chicago, while the Trans World Airlines plane was bound for Kansas City. The first plane crashed into a canyon, and the second crashed into a cliff.
The collision claimed the lives of 128 passengers and crew on both aircraft, making it the first air disaster in history to kill more than a hundred people. An investigation into the causes of the disaster was immediately launched. It was revealed that the collision took place in airspace “uncontrolled” by controllers. At that time, it was the responsibility of the pilots of the planes to keep a safe distance from each other, which they obviously did not cope with.
It became clear that changes in the air traffic control system and its modernization are needed. It cost a huge amount for those times – 250 million US dollars. Two years after the tragedy, the US Federal Aviation Agency, which oversees air traffic safety in American airspace, was also created.
The new approach to aircrew training
On December 28, 1978, a United Airlines flight approaching Portland, Oregon, with 181 passengers on board, circled near the airport for an hour while the flight crew tried in vain to resolve an undercarriage problem.
Although the aircraft’s engineer warned of the rapidly dwindling fuel supply, the captain, later described by one investigator as “arrogant”, waited too long to begin the landing. The plane ran out of fuel and crashed, killing 10 people.
As a result, United Airlines overhauled its training procedures, moving away from the traditional hierarchical approach of airlines where the captain has the last word. Instead, it emphasized teamwork and communication between crew members and has since become the standard in the aviation industry.
The deadliest disaster in aviation history
The deadliest disaster in the history of civil aviation happened not in the air, but on the ground. Namely, on March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747 passenger planes collided in the middle of the runway at Los Rodeos airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife, killing 583 people.
The impact and subsequent fire killed everyone on board the Dutch airline KLM and most of the US Pan Am passengers on board the airline’s aircraft. 61 “KLM” passengers, who were in the front part of the plane, survived the disaster.
The investigation revealed that on the day of the disaster, there were reports of a bomb threat at Gran Canaria airport, so all planes were diverted to Los Rodeas. The weather that day was also quite bad, meaning that due to the fog, visibility was significantly reduced for both pilots and controllers.
However, the main cause of the disaster was the decision of the “KLM” pilot to take off, mistakenly believing that the take-off permission of air traffic controllers had been issued. It should be noted that the airline admitted the fault of its pilot and agreed to pay compensation to the relatives of the victims.
This disaster had a significant impact on the aviation industry, as it highlighted the importance of using standardized phraseology in radio communications between pilots and controllers.
Air disaster, after which there were improvements in the quality of fire safety
On June 2, 1983, passengers on an Air Canada flight noticed smoke coming from the lavatory. The aircraft was en route from Dallas, USA to Toronto, Canada at the time. Soon, thick, black smoke completely filled the cabin.
Although the pilot could barely see the control panel because of the smoke, he managed to land the plane at the Cincinnati airport. But shortly after the doors and emergency exits opened, and before everyone could get out, the aircraft’s cabin burst into flames. Of the 46 people on board, half, or 23, died.
As a result, regulations required aircraft lavatories to be equipped with smoke detectors and automatic fire extinguishers. Within five years, all jetliners were equipped with fire-resistant layers on the seat cushions, as well as emergency lighting on the floor, so that passengers could escape from the aircraft in dense smoke. It should be noted that airplanes manufactured after 1988 also have more fire-resistant interior finishing materials.
The mystery of the missing plane
On March 8, 2014, the “Malaysia Airlines” plane, which was transporting 239 people from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to the Chinese capital Beijing Airport, disappeared from the radar screens. Nearly a decade later, it remains aviation’s most vexing mystery.
The biggest unanswered question is why the plane’s transponders were apparently disabled, rendering the jet nearly invisible. The aircraft changed course and headed south. Some experts believe it could have flown on autopilot for up to seven hours before running out of fuel and plunging into the Indian Ocean. Since there is no irrefutable evidence about the causes of the disaster, many theories have arisen about what happened, including deliberate sabotage by a crew member or passenger.
One thing is for sure: the world would still not be looking for this plane if it was equipped with real-time tracking devices. After the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines, the International Civil Aviation Organization has ordered all airlines to install tracking equipment that allows more accurate tracking of planes, especially those over the ocean. In turn, aircraft manufacturers are also developing a new generation of “black boxes” that would automatically float when the plane hits water.
It should be noted that a court case started in China in November of this year, in which the relatives of 40 missing Malaysia Air passengers demanded compensation from both Malaysia Airlines, Boeing aircraft manufacturer, engine manufacturer Rolls Royce and Allianz insurance company. . Compensation amounts range from $1.4 million to $11.2 million.
So far, 2017 is considered the safest year in the history of aviation, when there was no plane crash. However, the risk of dying in a plane crash in the US or Europe remains low, at about 29 million to one.
2023-12-22 04:27:04
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