Airplane Disasters and Plane Crash Statistics
The truth about flying safety
The majority of the people who step onto a commercial airliner have no knowledge of how this big capsule with wings can get off the ground. Naturally their greatest concern (especially for the fearful flyer) is "what if something goes wrong and we are 33,000 feet off the ground?"
Consider the statistics below:
Probability of being killed in an airplane accident vs. other causes of death
Your chances of being involved in an aircraft accident are about 1 in 11 million. On the other hand, your chances of being killed in an automobile accident are 1 in 5000. Statistically, you are at far greater risk driving to the airport than getting on an airplane. However, the perception is that you have more control over your fate when you are in your car than as a passenger traveling on an airplane. Experience shows otherwise, considering that over 50,000 people are killed on the highways every year.
An article in Time magazine (12/4/06) reminds us that "more than 500 times as many people die on U.S. roads as in airline accidents." The article "Why We Worry About the Things We Shouldn't" further goes on to give some startling statistics about the kind of accidents that kill Americans. The data is from 2003, the most recent year for which data is available. According to the article, if you're a bike rider, a dog lover, or a bath taker then you're at far greater risk of being killed in an accident than you are from riding in a commercial aircraft. Don't forget the other kinds of accidents that killed more people than aircraft crashes--stinging from bees/wasps, slipping on ice or snow, choking on food, or falling down stairs or off ladders. It's a dangerous world we live in! And please don't forget the 600 Americans who are killed every year from falling out of bed.
The Time article goes on to talk about the fear of flying and that for many it's a control issue.
"We similarly misjudge risk if we feel we have some control over it, even if it's an illusory sense. The decision to drive instead of fly is the most commonly cited example, probably because it's such a good one. Behind the wheel, we're in charge; in the passenger seat of a crowded airline, we might as well be cargo. So white-kuckle flyers routinely choose the car...The most white-knuckle time of all was post-Sept. 11 when even confident flyers took to the roads. Not surprisingly, from October through December 2001 there were 1,000 more highway fatalities than in the same period the year before (in part because there were simply more cars around)...the '9-11 effect produced a third again as many fatalities as the terrorist attacks,' says David Ropeik, an independent risk consultant and a former professor at the Harvard School of Public Health."
Negative Bias
Media coverage would suggest that airline crashes happen every day. Studies have shown one would have to fly once a day every day for over 15,000 years in order to statistically be involved in an aircraft accident! Yet stories of aircraft accidents are between 150 to 200 times more likely to receive front-page coverage than other more common causes of death. Consequently, fearful flyers develop a negative bias toward flying. That is, they will bias their perception to notice those events and experiences that support their fears, i.e. If I believe flying is dangerous and risky, then I will pay attention to anything in the media that supports my fear and perception; I will ignore anything that is contrary to this position, for example, information about the safety of flying.
Your fears become validated by the continual bombardment of media coverage following an airline accident. Who can forget the horrifying coverage of the airplanes flying into the World Trade Center on 9/11 replayed over and over until the major networks agreed it served no purpose to replay the events? But it's highly unlikely that you'll see headlines "Fifty People Killed Yesterday in Bed Falls."
Airplane disasters and plane crash statistics make for more dramatic, "eye-catching" newsprint. Not nearly enough information is printed on aircraft safety. Because disasters seem to be more newsworthy to the public, the media is naturally attracted to the financially acceptable print, and naturally it is LARGE PRINT in these cases.
You can't convince me! I still think flying is the WORST way to travel. How can I become a better flyer?
If you can't change your mind, change the way you fly with Chicken Soup for the Soul's Fearless FlightKit™. The #1 Way to Fly!
This amazing portable Kit specially developed by a veteran pilot Capt. Ron Nielsen, in conjunction with Jack Canfield includes:
1. Real Life Fearful Flyer's Stories - Former fearful flyers describe their fear of flying and tell how they overcame it.
2. Flight Guide - Information about those sights, sounds and sensations that drive you nuts on when you fly.
3. Flight Harmonizer CD - The magical CD that will distract you from your fear!
Kathie H, a former fearful flyer emailed us her comments about this amazing kit:
After flying without any problems for many years and actually even pricing flying lessons at one point, I never imagined I would develop a fear of flying. Being stuck in an elevator changed that by setting off a nasty bout with claustrophobia that carried over to being “trapped” in the airplane cabin. The next flight was one of extremely high anxiety where I found myself counting the minutes until landing while fighting a panic all over my body. My loving husband really didn’t understand and tried to use humor which definitely did not work. I avoided flying for quite a while using finances and having small children as my excuse. I previously had tried some traditional counseling and a relaxation tape with very limited success. Capt Ron’s program, most specifically the Harmonizer CD, is my key to traveling again. All I have to do is turn on the CD anytime during the flight when I feel worry or anxiety start and almost instantly my whole body relaxes. For me it has been a real gift to be flying again. I have even made a 4 ½ hour flight with my three children on a 7-passenger small plane. This summer we will be off to Alaska which will be a long flight and be assured Capt Ron’s Harmonizer CD will be in my carry-on.
Kathie H.
Yes, send me the Fearless FlightKit™ ($24.95 plus s&h)
Tell me more: complete outline of the Fearless FlightKit™
What's the "Plane" Truth about Flying Safety?
Want to replace all your worries about flight safety with facts and helpful information?:
If you're concerned about flight safety, wouldn't you worry less if you knew how rigidly an aircraft is maintained--that if you used this same maintenance schedule for your car it would cost you thousands of dollars each year?
If you're worried about crashing, want to understand how turbulence happens and how the aircraft is designed to bend and flex as it flies through the bumpy skies?
In his Cleared 4 Takeoff seminar, Capt. Ron, a 40-year aviation veteran, explains to you all about flying safety and why flying is truly the safest way to travel on the planet. The Cleared 4 Takeoff seminar contains the "plane truth" about flying and helps you become a better flyer.
Want to get over your fear of flying in the comfort of your home or office? You'll be able to replace your misinformation with knowledge. You'll hear real fearful flyers ask real questions they have--probably the same ones that you want to ask. Through the power of this incredible three-hour seminar, you're sure to be on your way to becoming a better flyer!
You can download this informative and entertaining class for only $77. Surely your freedom t fly is worth much more than that! Plus you'll be to refer back to the seminar over and over or every time you fly to give you comfort and reassurance.
Here's what one fearful flyer said after he downloaded the Cleared 4 Takeoff seminar:
So, I'm sure that this is not the last that you will hear from me, but I would have paid double for that seminar and Flight Harmonizer CD. I want to take my wife of 9 years to Ireland next year for a real honeymoon. And I can't wait to see the look in her eyes when she sees her husband bravely boarding a very obviously safe a will maintained aircraft, flown by highly trained personnel. I'm not there yet, but I can finally see myself on the yellow brick road. :)
Thanks again Capt. Ron, you are truly changing people's lives.
B.P, Denver, CO
Yes, I'm ready to work on my fear of flying with Capt. Ron's Cleared 4 Takeoff seminar.
I'd like more information about Captain Ron's Cleared 4 Takeoff Fear of Flying Seminar.
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