Smoke billows from the cabin. Tires burst. Windshields crack. The list of problems that affect flights is endless, leaving travelers anxious and causing thousands of flight delays and cancellations around the world every day.
Such incidents cause great discontent and panic, but it is not easy to explain and understand their severity. Here, aviation safety experts explain how travelers should think about them when they occur.
First of all, it should be made clear that problems are inevitable.
Several worrying air travel incidents have made headlines in recent weeks – one involving a plane careening into the sea.Sharp diveonceA chilling shakedamage to the aircraft’s tail, andEngine firelead toAbandon takeoff.
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But experts say the most common accidents and breakdowns, even if they sound scary, are usually not serious.
For example, a hydraulic leak is a common fault that pilots take very seriously, but it is not as devastating as it sounds. This is because there are backup hydraulic systems on the aircraft that power equipment such as the landing gear, brakes, wing flaps and flight control systems, which enable the aircraft to take off, fly and land. A plane veers off the runway, which can be captured on video and can be a terrifying experience for those on board. But it does not necessarily cause serious damage to the aircraft and threaten the safety of those on board.
Likewise, a variety of mechanical problems or maintenance issues that can arise before takeoff can force pilots to park the plane at the gate or taxi back to the gate. Experts say it’s important to identify and resolve these problems, but they are usually minor and manageable.
“The pilot said, ‘I’m well trained and I know this airplane inside out, and out of an abundance of caution we have to go back to the gate and get the experts involved,’ ” said Sean Pruchnicki, a former airline pilot and assistant professor at Ohio State University’s Center for Aviation Studies. “That’s the system working perfectly. That’s a good thing.”
Sometimes, these problems may cause a flight to be canceled or the aircraft to be taken out of service. But usually, the aircraft can be repaired quickly. Because the aircraft is equipped with multiple safety systems, sometimes even if one system fails, the flight can continue safely by relying on one or more backup systems.
Flying is a complex, gravity-defying feat that’s repeated countless times every day under a variety of conditions, so travelers shouldn’t be surprised when something goes wrong, said pilot Amy Pritchett, a professor of aerospace engineering at Pennsylvania State University.
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“There are always small parts that burn out or break,” she said. “There are always potholes on the taxiway that cause some collisions. There are always issues with whether the weather is suitable for flying, whether there will be turbulence. All of these are variables that need to be actively managed.”
Flying is safe.
Another thing for travelers to remember, experts say, is that serious flying problems are extremely rare.
Flying is safer than driving or taking the train, in part because safety is built into everything from air traffic control to the design of the planes themselves. Vital systems and procedures have backups, there are few single points of failure, pilots receive intensive and repeated training, and airlines prepare for every possible outcome.
“This is the safest form of transportation ever devised by man,” said John Cox, a former pilot who now runs a safety consulting firm. “Be careful when you drive to the airport.”
According to the National Academy of Sciences’ 2022 study on commercial aviation safety,analyzeover the past few decades, U.S. commercial aviation safety has improved more than 40 times.
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Typical causes of accidents include turbulence, hard landings, collisions with other aircraft or vehicles on the ground, and failure of components such as flaps or engines, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Part of the reason flying is so safe is that the aviation industry generally responds to all problems, even those that pose little threat. In the United States, airlines, manufacturers, and agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are constantly monitoring and reviewing the risks and hazards of air travel.
“Right now, the systems in place to monitor commercial air transport are very sophisticated,” Pritchett said. But she added that doesn’t mean anyone involved can let down their guard when assessing the potential for danger.
Experts say that while trips are occasionally cut short, diversions usually reflect an abundance of caution by pilots, airlines and air traffic controllers rather than life-threatening emergencies. “Can we continue to our destination? Yes, but is that the safest way to do it?” said Kenneth Burns, a pilot and associate professor of flight training at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Accountability is very complicated.
Because aviation is so complex and features redundant design, problems rarely have a single cause. Instead, most of the most serious problems—even catastrophic ones—are the result of a combination of factors.
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“There was never a smoking gun, so to speak,” Pruchnicki said. “There was never a moment when we examined the wreckage or the records where we could say, ‘Aha, I found the only reason why the plane crashed.'”
Take the near-collision between two planes on the runway at JFK International Airport early last year.Discoverseveral factors contributed to what could have been a disaster.
The agency found that the pilots on one of the planes were distracted and took the wrong taxiway. Meanwhile, the air traffic controller who gave them the instructions did not notice because his attention was elsewhere. The agency also concluded that the runway status lights activated too late to alert the pilots to the error.
Experts say that when investigating such incidents, assigning blame is not only difficult but also generally discouraged.In the blogAdmiral Cloudberg“No-blame post-mortems are a cornerstone of modern aviation safety,” said Kayla Dempsey, who writes about aviation accidents at the BBC.,“It helps foster an open safety culture where people are willing toReport your concerns.
“Aviation accident investigators are more interested in understanding the cause than assigning blame, because our job is to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Cox, a pilot-turned-consultant. “Lawyers are more interested in assigning blame.”
It is important to look at the problem holistically.
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Experts say when an accident happens, it’s important to put it into context.
For example, a casual observer might notice that many of the problems seem to affect just two aircraft types: the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320. But these aircraft families account for more than half of all commercial aircraft in service, so naturally they get the most press coverage.
Experts also warn about the problem of cognitive bias. When an airline or manufacturer is in the news, the media and the public often start to alert to other issues involving that company, even if those issues are less relevant to the company or may not even be of much concern to safety agencies.
“When something happens, you need time to discover and understand exactly what happened and why it happened,” said Jeff Guzzetti, a former accident investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. “That’s not something you can do in one news cycle or even two news cycles.”
The NTSB can take months, sometimes more than a year, to conduct an investigation and make safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.
Experts said Boeing was rightly under intense scrutiny after a 737 Max panel fell off during flight in January, but several said they had been flooded with calls from reporters in the months since, seeking comment on issues involving Boeing planes that had little to do with the company.
“Just because a Boeing airplane has a mechanical problem doesn’t necessarily mean it’s related to Boeing,” Pruchnicki said.
In the case involving the fuselage panel, the plane was actually new, so attention has focused on the manufacturer. But experts say the manufacturer may not be at fault if a problem occurs on a plane that was delivered years ago and has been flying safely ever since.