Thick black smoke poured from the crash site near the airport in Ahmedabad, a city with a population exceeding 5 million and the capital of Gujarat.
The numerous aircraft crashes and near misses have raised significant concerns about air travel.
The Ahmedabad crash was markedly more catastrophic than the midair collision that resulted in 67 fatalities near Washington, DC, in January—the first major fatal incident on U.S. soil since 2009. Recent events also include an airplane grazing another on the taxiway in Seattle in February. Furthermore, in March, an American Airlines jet ignited after landing in Denver, injuring 12 individuals. In April, a sightseeing helicopter tragically broke apart and plunged into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey, claiming six lives.
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Federal officials attempt to reassure the public that air travel remains the safest transportation option, and data backs this claim. Yet, the continuous stream of unfortunate news is attracting growing scrutiny.
Here’s a glimpse of some recent tragedies and incidents:
1. Over the past month, two small aircraft collided near San Diego. A private jet crashed into a neighborhood in heavy fog, resulting in six deaths; the runway lights were nonfunctional. Another six lost their lives when a small plane went down into the ocean shortly after takeoff in San Diego.
2. A helicopter crash on April 10 in New York took off from a downtown heliport. The flight lasted under 18 minutes, flying north along the Manhattan skyline before heading south toward the Statue of Liberty. Among the victims was a family from Spain celebrating a child’s ninth birthday.
3. A small plane crashed in Boca Raton, Florida, on April 11, killing three and injuring one, near a major interstate highway, forcing a car onto railroad tracks.
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4. In February, two small planes collided midair near an Arizona airport, resulting in two fatalities from one aircraft. While one plane landed safely, the other crashed near a runway and caught fire. This incident occurred at Marana Regional Airport close to Tucson.
5. A small commuter plane went down in Alaska in early February, resulting in the deaths of all 10 people onboard. This incident marked one of the state’s deadliest crashes in 25 years. Radar data revealed a swift decline in elevation and speed, and the U.S. Coast Guard had no distress signals recorded from the aircraft.
6. A medical transport plane that had just taken off crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood in late January, killing all six onboard and two individuals on the ground, with about two dozen others injured. The National Transportation Safety Board reported that the cockpit voice recorder likely had not functioned for years, and the crew did not communicate any distress signals to air traffic control.
7. The late January collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and a U.S. Army helicopter over the nation’s capital resulted in the demise of all individuals aboard both aircraft. This event marked the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. since November 12, 2001, when a jet crashed into a New York City neighborhood after takeoff, killing all 260 onboard and five on the ground.
8. In late December in South Korea, a jetliner operated by Jeju Air skidded off a runway, crashed into a concrete barrier, and erupted in flames after landing gear failure. All but two of the 181 individuals onboard perished, making it one of the country’s gravest aviation disasters.
9. The American Airlines plane that caught fire at Denver International Airport in March had been diverted due to engine vibrations after taking off from Colorado Springs. An engine ignited while taxiing to the gate, leading to the deployment of slides for rapid evacuation. Passengers hospitalized reported only minor injuries. The NTSB discovered a fuel leak and several improperly installed engine components.
10. A single-engine aircraft carrying five people crashed and ignited later that month in the parking lot of a retirement community near a small airport in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Everyone onboard survived, though three were taken to a burn center.
11. In February, a Delta Air Lines jet flipped over upon landing at Toronto’s Pearson Airport. All 80 passengers survived, albeit with a few minor injuries. Witnesses and video footage revealed that the plane landed so hard that its right wing was severed. Investigators intend to explore weather conditions and the potential for human error.
12. Last month, two commercial aircraft had to abort their landings at Reagan National Airport near Washington due to an Army Black Hawk helicopter operating near the Pentagon. Following the incident, the Army suspended its helicopter flights in the vicinity. This helicopter belonged to the same unit that was involved in the midair collision with a passenger jet in January.
13. On the same day as the fatal New York helicopter crash in April, an American Airlines plane’s wing tip brushed against another aircraft from the same airline on the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport’s taxiway in Arlington, Virginia. No injuries were reported, and multiple congressional members were aboard one of the flights.
14. A FedEx cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing at a busy New Jersey airport in March due to a bird strike causing an engine fire visible in the morning sky. The plane landed safely at Newark Liberty International Airport, with no injuries reported.
15. In late February, pilots of a Southwest Airlines flight preparing to land at Chicago’s Midway Airport had to ascend again to avoid colliding with another aircraft that was improperly crossing the runway. Video footage captured the plane’s descent before it abruptly pulled away as a business jet taxied onto the runway without clearance, according to federal officials.
16. Early in February, a Japan Airlines aircraft was taxiing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport when it accidentally clipped the tail of a parked Delta plane. No injuries were reported.
17. In early January, chaos ensued when a man on a JetBlue flight was taxiing for takeoff from Boston’s Logan International Airport opened an emergency exit door over a wing, triggering an emergency slide to inflate. Other passengers restrained the man, and the flight was stopped before takeoff.
