New York, NY- A study released by London-based aviation data and consultancy firm Ascend found that 828 people lost their lives in airliner crashes around the globe last year. According to information provided by Bloomberg, the total number of fatal airliner accidents increased by five to 28, and the fatality figure was 4 percent higher than last decade’s annual average of 794 deaths. While the report revealed a 13 percent jump in from the 2009 fatality count, the number of fatal jet crashes fell from 37.6 per year in the 1990s to 27.2 per year this decade. Ascend safety director Paul Hayes concluded, “Air safety is still improving, and this has resulted in 100 fewer fatal accidents during that last decade than in the 1990s.”
Four airliner accidents claimed 472 lives, or 65 percent of the total number of fatalities reported in jet crashes last year. The worst of these plane wrecks, which involved an Air India Express-flown Boeing Co. 737, occurred in Mangalore during the month of May. The violent aviation accident killed 152 passengers and six crew members. Additionally, the July crash of an Airbus SAS A321 flown by Pakistan’s Airblue resulted in the deaths of 146 passengers and six crew. A 10-year-old Dutch child was the sole survivor of a deadly plane crash at a Tripoli airport in May. Libya’s Afriqiyah Airways Airbus A330 wreck killed 103 people. The fourth worst crash occurred when an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 originating from Beirut, Lebanon crashed into the sea. Eighty-two passengers and eight crew members lost their lives.
Aviation experts noted that although the four worst airliner crashes involved western-built jets, they were being operated by carriers in budding economies with generally basic infrastructures. Mr. Hayes contended that a lack of precision-landing gear, dangerous environmental factors, and limited corporate supervision can also prove hazardous in the field of air travel. “Worldwide, you have an accident rate of a bit more than one for every million flights… But if you look at Western Europe or North America it’s probably closer to one in 15 million,” he said. Modern planes are equipped with technology that provides the pilot with a “guide path” and directions regarding the altitude of the aircraft during the landing process. However, many airports outside of Western Europe and North America lack the technology that allows these instruments to function properly. This factor appears to play a greater role in aviation accidents than the aircraft itself, seeing as western-built jets accounted for 90 percent of air traffic in 2010.
Leading Manhattan injury attorney Jonathan C. Reiter states if you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a plane crash, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and damages. Located in the Empire State Building, with more than thirty years of experience litigating the multifaceted claims of aviation accident victims and their families, contacting New York City aviation accident lawyer Jonathan Reiter with regard to your particular personal injury or wrongful death case may help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
