Whats wrong with the planes?

Question

Why is there so much happening with planes lately? Firstly there was the Spanair plane crash with 153 people killed, less than a week later came the Russian plane crash with 87 dead, and yesterday Ryanair had to make an emergency landing when the plane dropped 10,000 - 20,000 ft in second and 16 people were taken to hospital. Is it all just coincidence? Is there something in the air? (lol), or are airlines just not bothered about taking safety precautions anymore. I've flown a lot so far in my life, and have never had a bad flight so far. I'm flying again in 3 weeks time, and I have to say I do feel a bit anxious about it this time. Anyone else feel the same now?

Answer 1

It's probably the pilot or the engine. They didn't do the full system check carefully.

Answer 2

i would have to disagree with above i work for an airline and feel completely safe, especially when you compare fatalities from air disasters to road accidents etc.

I was reading a report the other day from AAIB and it said that 8000 have died from air crashes in the last 10 years. would love to know road accident figures i bet it's lots more than that!

Answer 3

Although it is scary for most people, flying is still much safer than driving.

As to why there are so many air crashes lately, you cannot generalize the cause as it includes a lot of stuffs and all crashes are different. There are a lot of different reasons to why a plane crash from pilots mistakes to engine failures down to human error when they're doing the overhaul.

To be honest I feel more safe flying with international flights (specially airlines from the US) than compare to some of these low cost airlines in Asia where they are competing in selling their tickets but one must wonder when they're selling it so cheap then it means they're cutting on other departments, now that is scary.

Answer 4

It's partly coincidence and partly the fault of news media that try to dig up and sensationalize every problem.

The Spanair crash was largely a freak accident. Russia isn't the safest place to fly, so an occasional accident there is not surprising. The Ryanair incident wasn't a crash, and the aircraft didn't drop—it lost cabin pressure, and regulations require that the plane descend immediately if pressure is lost so that passengers don't have to wear oxygen masks (at normal cruise altitudes, there isn't much air, so if the cabin isn't pressurized, it's necessary to fly much lower).

Some airlines are probably doing the minimum maintenance they can get away with in order to save money.  Fortunately, in most developed countries, the regulations are so extremely strict that airlines cannot get away with much, and so air travel remains safe.  In developing countries, with more "flexible" rules and enforcement, the safety level is often lower.  Fly with major airlines in affluent countries (U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia, Singapore, etc.), and you'll be completely safe.

Answer 5

Although air crashes are very uncommon, it seems that there is a huge discussion about air safety every time that one occurs. There were thousands of auto accidents worldwide yesterday and many deaths, but no one is talking about whether cars are unsafe.

The causes of the two crashes have not been determined and won't be for months. Therefore, we don't know that there was anything wrong with the planes. Airline crashes can be caused by many factors, including mechanical problems with the plane. They can also be caused by factors that have nothing to do with the plane such as pilot error, wind shear, fuel, etc.

Even a drop in altitude can be caused by wind shear or severe turbulence. It doesn't automatically mean that the aircraft is defective.

Let's not panic until we know the causes. Far more people die every year in auto accidents, so flying is still the safest way to travel by far.