As of the start of 2025, it seems that there has been an increase of aviation accidents both in commercial and general types of flying. Commercial flying is an operation by aircraft to transport passengers, cargo, or mail for a fee. This usually involves a large amount of whatever the aircraft is carrying because commercial is primarily flown by large jets.
General aviation is known as recreational flying. It is typically flown by private pilots with smaller airplanes where they fly recreationally or for business. This can also include aerial work and instructional flying.
It is important for air traffic controllers to be precise with coordinates and directions. Chris Richards, a former Air Traffic Controller (ATC) who is now working as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Staff Support Specialist, has experience in the Federal Aviation Administration. ATC needs to be very precise to function properly, and Richards had much to say about this.
“Air traffic controllers have a critical, high-stakes job where precision and constant awareness is very important. We manage complex tasks with aircrafts at high altitude and one small error can cause disasters, with peoples lives at stake, ” Richards said.
Since Air Traffic Controllers are the backbone of safe air travel, this shows just how important it is for ATC to be on point and know everything that is going on. Being able to be in a plane and feel secure with ATC will make it safer for air travel.
Many people don’t know the difference between commercial and general aviation. For someone like Richards, he has been in this industry for almost 20 years and knows not just the differences of what they are, but also what different rules and regulations they have to follow as well.
“The FAA defines commercial aviation as revenue-generating flights transporting passengers or cargo for hire, like airlines or cargo carriers, while “general aviation” encompasses non-military, noncommercial flying known as private flying of all kinds. Commercial aircraft opposed to general aviation operate with stricter rules by the FAA. Including pilot training, maintenance, and operational standards due to higher risk of public safety,” Richards said.
The real difference between commercial and general aviation, and their own rules/regulations they have to follow is strictly because of public safety due to the number of passengers on each flight. Since general aviation is considered private flying as Richards stated, it does not have as many safety checks as a commercial airplane with hundreds of people on it.
Recently, it seems there has been a spike in aviation accidents, or has there really been? With government office positions shifting as of January 20, 2025 this so-called “spike” in flying accidents may be because of more news coverage over those specific tragic events.
“Statistically, it doesn’t seem that aviation accidents have increased based on data you can find online, per the FAA website and Greeneville news, but they’re getting far more attention in my opinion due to heightened news and social media coverage. While there were two major accidents that included injuries and deaths in the past two months, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) suggests no major uptick in commercial accidents. I believe that amplified exposure by 24 hour news and media platforms has only elevated this false belief,” Richards said.
Data from NTSB has indicated that there were 1,415 aviation accidents in 2024, with only 18 of those coming on commercial flights. This year there has only been a handful with only one of those being a catastrophe. On January 29, 67 people died in the Potomac River when a Bombardier airplane collided with a Military Black Hawk helicopter. It has been 15 years since a catastrophe of this extent has taken place.
Compared to the approximate six million car crashes per year and over 36,000 car crashes per day, this is almost 36 times what the yearly aviation accidents are, and that is only in one day for ground travel. Flying easily takes the claim for safer travel statistically.
“Flying remains the safest form of travel. From our airport, Springfield-Branson National Airport operates under severely strict FAA rules, keeping risks extremely low compared to Missouri’s 1,057 road deaths in 2022. Flying wins in the safety department, hands down,” Richards said.
For Springfield, this is motivating information knowing how our airport generally operates and with how safely they run it compared to road travel which is significantly more dangerous.
No matter what the media tries to portray, all types of flying are safe. The reason why news/media doesn’t cover car accidents with as much attention is because it’s so common and the public isn’t surprised by it. However, when an air disaster happens it’s very rare, so the media pays more attention. So if you’re wondering if it’s safe to fly in and out of Springfield-Branson National Airport, the answer is yes, way safer than traveling on the road.
