The United States of Air Crashes

Saturday’s fatal incident at San Francisco International Airport involving Asiana Airlines Flight 214 represents the first fatal civil aviation accident in the United States since 2009. Incidentally, it is also the very first fatal accident involving the Boeing 777.

The aircraft landed short of the runway, killing two people and injuring at least 182 out of a total of 307 onboard. The United States tops the list of countries with the highest amount of civil aviation accidents by a considerable distance – Saturday’s accident is an unpleasant addition.

10,505 people have lost their lives in 760 fatal civil aviation accidents in the United States since 1945. Apart from 9/11, the 1979 crash of American Airlines Flight 191 in Chicago still ranks as the deadliest civilian air disaster in US history. The DC-10 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 273 people. The high amount of accidents in the United States can be primarily attributed to the massive volume of aviation traffic in the country.

Russia has the second worst record when it comes to civil aviation safety. Since 1945, Russia has experienced 304 separate fatal incidents, leading to 6,919 casualties. Canada comes third, with 2,653 separate fatalities in a total of 169 different incidents.