Every day, millions of people travel in all different ways, some walking, driving, or flying. Flying is claimed to be the safest way to travel, even though everyone has seen their fair share of plane crashes on the news this year. With it being only three months into 2025, many are scared to be on a plane because others have had worrisome experiences. Aircraft crashes are said to be rare based on statistics, but the rise in them so far is frightening to most.
According to USA Today, there have been 94 aviation accidents as of Feb. 20 of this year. On Jan. 29, an American Airlines flight was getting ready to land on the runway when it collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter, which killed every passenger aboard both aircraft. Two days later, a Learjet Air Ambulance crashed in Philadelphia, killing all people on board and one on the ground. Then, a Delta Jet that was coming from Minneapolis crash-landed on the runway and flipped over; all passengers and crew were safe. On Mar. 13, a formal complaint was filed by the Campaign Legal Center with the Office of Special Counsel and the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General. In this complaint, the CLC claims that the Starlink contract Elon Musk is trying to push violates federal laws, even though he is a part of the federal advisory role under President Trump. The CLC says that this role restricts him from making government decisions that would have the ability to raise his personal wealth. Obviously, since the CLC reported the complaint, they would see red flags such as Musk’s dual role as a DOGE federal advisor as well as SpaceX CEO. This can be seen as a breach of ethical laws and government decisions. Many people argue that Musk’s involvement with Trump gives him a higher power and an unfair advantage. Even though the CLC has reported this formal complaint, it does not mean it will be acted upon. With all of this said, is flying really safer than driving?
Hearing about this many plane crashes in a year seems crazy to most, with the thought that an American being in a plane crash is one in 11 million, according to wxyz.com. One is more likely to get killed by a shark and almost 2,000 times more likely to be in a car accident. So why is it that the statistics have such a low rate, but there are so many crashes this year?
Many of the crashes that happened this year are still under investigation. NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) Chairwoman, Jennifer Homendy, said, “We will look at all the humans that were involved in this accident. We will look at the aircraft. We will look at the helicopter. We will look at the environment in which they were operating in. That is standard.” To do a proper investigation, there are a lot of pieces that must come together. As of Feb. 14, NPR reported that the Black Hawk Helicopter was supposed to be no higher than 200 feet, but the crash happened at 278 feet above the river. Homendy claimed it was unclear if the pilots were being shown the correct altitude, as it may have malfunctioned.
With all of this information, people are scared to travel. But with what’s on the news and social media and people posting pictures and videos of crashes, many should be scared. According to Business Insider, a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, of passengers upside down in their seats during the Delta plane crash has already gotten millions of views. The videos, pictures, and the news show how tragic plane crashes can be and how frightening the thought of flying again could be. Business Insider has reported that multiple people say they will choose to drive to their destination rather than fly, even though the NTSB still claims that flying is the safest way to travel.
There have been so many reported plane crashes in the first three months of 2025, and hopefully, there are no more to come. People use flying as a means of transportation daily, whether it’s for work or just a fun vacation. It would be best if they didn’t have to have the added stress of being terrified the plane might crash. If you think about it, there have been more successful flights this year compared to crashes. Even though hearing about all the bad can be terrifying, I think that knowing the good can outweigh the bad is enough to ease some nerves.
