Certainly, the increase of flight safety precautions (including onboarding restrictions, aircraft design, and maintenance) has had a lot to do with a significant decrease in commercial aircraft fatal accidents worldwide over the past 7 decades. It would seem to follow that the risk of flying is now minimal and that we ‘have it under control.’ However, that assumption would be a gross overstatement when you consider how significantly air travel has become interlinked with the economic and social aspects of our world.
Auger & Auger Accident and Injury Lawyers has represented victims of aviation accidents throughout the Carolinas since 1995 and is well aware of the vast impact this industry has on the United States alone. Although large numbers of fatalities are infrequent, serious injuries can be sustained from airplane turbulence, passenger aggression, rough landings, oxygen depletion, and more. The aftermath of any aviation accident can also cause emotional distress and PTSD because you’ve undergone a situation with no control and everything at risk.
There’s No Flying Without Wings
From citizen and corporate travel to freight transfers, and testing and training by manufacturers, air traffic is in motion every minute of the day and night. It’s no small wonder that the public has little to no awareness of the monumental functions it takes to keep global air traffic aloft on a daily basis.
In the United States, the 365/24/7 handling, assistance, and tracking of the activities of this industry are within the purview of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The following data was obtained from an FAA report entitled Air Traffic By The Numbers, as updated in November of 2018. Just one of the monumental tasks includes oversight of more than 15.8 million flights annually.
- 5.3 million square miles of U.S. domestic airspace
- 24.1 million square miles of oceanic airspace
- 43,000+ average daily flights
- 5,000 aircraft in the sky at peak operational times
- 10+ million scheduled passenger flights yearly
- 2.6+ million passengers fly every day in and out of U.S. airports
- 24.8 million general aviation flight hours per year
- 19,346 U.S. airports (4,898 public, 14,448 private)
- 517 airport traffic control Towers
- 21 air route traffic control centers
- 155 terminal radar approach control facilities
- 77,000+ pieces of equipment and systems operate 365/24/7
- 6,000+ airway transportation system specialists
- 14,000+ air traffic controllers
- 10.6 million U.S. jobs generated from aviation
- $446.8 billion annual earnings from aviation-related jobs
- 5.1% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product is contributed by aviation
- 166,000+ fixed-wing general aviation aircraft
- 10,600 rotorcraft (helicopters)
- 35,000 experimental light craft
- 42.5 billion pounds of freight per year
In Case You Were Wondering
Rock Hill-York County has experienced only 10 fatal light aircraft aviation accidents between November 1990 and March 2016 on this list of fatalities sourced from the NTSB aviation accident database from 2005 through 2018.
The FAA cites that in-flight loss of control accounts for most fatal accidents (mostly due to stalls), and that these crashes generally involve pilot error; with bad weather listed as the #1 culprit.
The Aviation Safety Network site is maintained by the Flight Safety Foundation. This is a detailed public resource for aircraft severe incidents (crashes, loss of control, hijackings) categorized by airline brand, corporations, private owners, and manufacturers. For instance, you can select a carrier, and quickly view their serious incidents record, the dates, type of aircraft, # of fatalities, as well as a fully detailed report of the cause, damages, and recommendations not to repeat.
Auger & Auger Is On Your Team
Should you or a loved one fall victim to an aviation accident, incident or hijacking, you can count on Auger & Auger to go the extra mile in pursuit of the compensation you deserve. Our Rock Hill personal injury law firm has an extensive background in aviation law – the U.S. to International – backed by the additional support and invaluable technical knowledge from our contracted professionals.
Our practice proudly offers a Zero-Fee Guarantee, so you will not suffer the risk of a retainer without receiving any compensation. When we win your case, we will deduct the relevant attorney fees at that time.
Call (803) 992-8878 today for your free consultation, with no fees due until recovery!
