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Travel by air is among the safest modes of transportation available. However, due to rising air traffic, the incidence of aviation accidents is increasing. When these accidents do occur, they commonly result in devastating injuries and death. A number of things, including human error, mechanical failure and environmental factors, may contribute to the cause of a crash.

Pilot Error

Pilot error is responsible for a large majority of  plane crashes and fatalities. This can be due to negligence or a simple mistake. Examples of errors include: not following instructions from air traffic control, knowingly flying into bad weather, misreading cockpit instruments and various navigational errors. Once in a while, a pilot may be incapacitated due to a heart attack or another medical emergency.

Equipment Failure

The failure of mechanical equipment or a flawed design also contributes to aviation crashes. If an equipment design flaw is the cause, the manufacturer of the equipment may be held responsible for the accident. Some typical design flaws include: cracks in the wing and defective locking mechanisms on plane doors. Sometimes, mechanical equipment simply fails preventing the plane from flying or landing safely.

Environmental Factors

Various environmental factors may also be to blame. If a plane encounters a flock of birds, the animals may get stuck in the plane’s engines and cause it to plummet. Lightning can strike the plane and disable the equipment, or even possibly ignite fumes in the fuel tank to cause a fire. Lightning can also lead to an electrical failure that causes a plane to stall in the air.

Human Errors

Besides mistakes made by the pilot, other human errors may involve inadequate communications or improper maintenance. Fuel starvation is a preventable cause of mishaps. If a plane was improperly fueled before takeoff or malfunctions because of a lack of maintenance, this could result in a major disaster. On occasion, air traffic controllers are negligent. The failure to provide pilots with precise, timely information and guidance can lead to a collision. Violations of any of the Federal Aviation Administration’s rules and regulations could cause a serious accident. 

Sabotage
Rarely, a crash is caused by sabotage or terrorism. A terrorist acting as a passenger may carry some type of explosive device onboard a flight with the intent to harm himself or others on the plane. 

Goldberg & Osborne, a personal injury law firm, has provided this article for informational purposes only, written by an independent author, and has not reviewed or edited this article and is not responsible for its content or accuracy.