The biggest aircraft crashes in the world

The safety of flights is the main requirements and tasks in aviation. Everybody of us, of course, is, was or will be a passenger. There is no need to mention that safety is the main thing in the air. The famous pilot Valery Chkalov used to say: ‘One engine is 100% of risk and danger and four engines 400%!’ And he was right. But nowadays it is possible air navigation if there is engine failure.

Many factors can be the problems to the aircraft. They are: snow, heavy rain, fog, mist, thunderstorms, showers and so on. We can say that meteorological conditions influence upon the aircraft. The intensive air traffic growth can be reason No2.

It is essential to ensure safety, regularity and efficiency of international civil aviation operations, international standardisation in all matters affecting them.

ICAO takes efforts on development the recommendations based on the analysis of aircraft crashes and accidents in the international civil aviation. The main direction is the common influence of a man-aircraft and the environment.

According to the world statistics and as ICAO data report, the ¾ of all aviation crashes are happening about 3 kilometres from the runway.

Some publications were published in the ‘Air and Cosmos’ and ‘Aircraft Engineering’ magazines about the analysis of Boeing Company of passenger aircraft maintenance for flying period of 30 years. 80% of all accidents occur during take off and landing procedures.

The accidents distribution is as following:

• taxiing – 3,3%;

• take off run – 17,6%;

• take off – 11,1%;

• climbing – 6,5%;

• cruising flight – 5,2%;

• descending – 3,3%;

• approach – 11,8%;

• landing – 16,3%;

• landing roll – 24,8%.

Take off and landing are the most dangerous legs of a flight, because shortage of time or altitude to understand and analyze the arising problems connected with mechanical, meteorological or human factors.

According to the Swedish magazine ‘Actual Safety’, Aeroflot aviation company is the most dangerous air company in the world. Every 19 flights of a million end in crashes.

Thaiwan occupies the second place – about 12 aircraft crashes and accidents; Egypt – 12; India – 11; Turkey – 11; China – 9; the Philippines – 9; South Korea – 9; Poland – 7.

The maximum number of passengers killed in one accident was 583 people, when Boeing 747 of KLM Company and Boeing 747 of Pan American Company collided on the ground in the Canary Islands. 520 people died on board Jal Boeing 747 in the vicinity of Tokyo.

American ‘South-West’ aviation company is the safest aviation company in the world. This company has had no accidents or crashes at all so far.

I’d like to tell you about the collision of a Kazakhstan Ilyushin 76 with a Saudia Boeing 747 on 12 November 1996 a few miles from DPN VOR near New Delhi. The controller apparently did nothing wrong. He cleared inbound Kazakhstan KZA 1907 to descend to FL 150 and this was confirmed by the crew. The controller also cleared the departing Saudia (SVA 763) to climb to FL 140, also confirmed by pilot. The Saudia called ATC, reporting FL 140 ‘for higher’ to which the controller replied: ‘Maintain FL 140, stand by for higher’, but this transmission is apparently not acknowledged back by the SVA pilot on the transcript. The next exchange is to warn the KZA that there is traffic preventing his further descent, again repeating to KZA to maintain FL 150. ‘Maintain FL 150, Identified traffic 12 o’clock, reciprocal, Saudi 747,14 miles, report in sight’ The KZA replied ‘Roger, 1907’ and the KZA followed with ‘Report how many miles?’ The controller replies again ‘14 miles’. Then a second traffic information is passed to the KZA ‘Traffic is 13 miles level 140’ to which the KZA replies only by ‘1907’. There is apparently no further R/T exchange before the collision. From this of course no firm clue can be deduced as to what caused the collision, but should this transcript be correct, it clears a few hypotheses that were printed in the media.

All aviation companies in the world compete in aviation safety. Every company wants to minimize causes, which may lead to accidents and human losses. And each of them hopes to win in this vital competition.

Questions:

1. Why is safety of flights so necessary and important?

2. What are the factors that can influence the flights?

3. What is the safest aviation company in the world?

4. Have you read about any aircraft crashers and accidents?

5. What films have you seen about aircraft crashes?

6. What are the most dangerous parts of a flight?

7. What do you know about the statistic analysis of aircraft accidents?

8. Give some examples of aircraft accidents.