Since the first commercial airlines operations began in 1959, air travel has become increasingly safer. Although accidents still occur, fatalities have decreased so much that your chance of being in a commercial airplane with several fatalities is approximately 1 in 3 million. In fact, fewer people died in plane crashes in the last 60 years than are killed in automobile accidents in the United States in a three-month period. Several factors contribute to commercial airplane safety.
Commercial airplane manufacturers design airplanes with safety as their top priority. Major systems are typically designed with at least one, and sometimes more, contingencies for failure, so that they can continue to function even when a problem occurs. Similarly, airplanes are designed to withstand extreme conditions that don't occur during regular flight. And the radios in the cockpit of a commercial airplane allow the crew to communicate in case of an emergency.
Most airplane accidents are caused by human error. In order to increase the safety of air travel, commercial airplane manufacturers strive to reduce this number by focusing on the human aspects of aviation safety in areas such as design of the flight deck, ergonomics, psychology, visual perception and human performance. According to Hank Queen, Boeing's Vice President of Engineering, "The ultimate goal is improved interaction between humans and machines."
Regulations of government agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States, promote safety on commercial airplanes. For example, pilots are required to obtain specific licenses and ratings for the airplanes they are flying and must be observed regularly by a federal official to retain their license. Also, government agencies audit airplane maintenance records and inspect airline operations. Inspectors also check for quality at manufacturing and design locations.
Governmental agencies impose strict regulations on the maintenance of commercial airplanes for the purpose of safety. Commercial airplanes require daily maintenance and inspections in addition to more thorough procedures. Every three to five years, a commercial airplane must be disassembled and reassembled with special attention given to major systems and components. Major systems and components are replaced on an as-needed basis, but many times they are replaced during reassembly.
Aviation security is an important component of the safety of commercial airplanes. Security focuses on the measures taken to prevent a commercial airplane from being hijacked or bombed. Preventive security measures include things like intelligence gathering and specific boarding procedures. Certain design features enhance the security of a commercial airplane, such as reinforced cockpit doors that are resistant to forced entry.
