Crashes involving aircraft in Chicago occur less often than many people may think. But this does not mean that their effects can be anything less than deadly. There is a wide distinction to be made between general and commercial aviation. These two main types of aviation encompass vastly different purposes. Each is prone to varying degrees of risk.
Why is commercial aviation safer than general?
Aviation accidents are much more likely to occur when general aviation is involved. This is because this type of aviation is far less regulated. Aircraft of the general type are not subjected to the same amount of oversight. As a result, accidents that occur off the radar are far more common.
By contrast, commercial aviation is far more heavily monitored and regulated. The goal is to ensure high adherence to the world’s strictest safety standards. These are rules of conduct that govern every aspect of the industry. General aviation does not require this kind of oversight. This can result in much looser safety and conduct standards.
General aviation is the cause of most accidents
General aviation accounted for 78.7% of all aircraft crashes recorded between 2002 and 2021. This is because pilots in this sector are less likely to have the years of training and thousands of flight hours required by commercial pilots. The type of aircraft that prevail in the general sector are also less likely to be regularly inspected.
Flight safety experts have recently claimed that a person would have to travel by air daily for 16,581 years to be involved in an accident. This extraordinary claim shows the level of safety that this industry seeks to uphold. General aviation has yet to reach anywhere near this level of safety.