Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
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Table 2-11. U.S. Air Carriera Fatal Accidents by First Phase of Operationb

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  1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Phase of operation                    
Approach/descent/landing 1 2 1 0 2 2 0 0 0 1
Taxi/takeoff/climb 3 1 2 0 1 0 3 2 0 0
Cruise (inflight) 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
Standing (static) 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1
Maneuveringc 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Other/not reported 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
Total fatal accidents 6 4 4 1 4 3 5 4 1 2

a 14 CFR 121, scheduled operations. Before Mar. 20, 1997, 14 CFR 121 applied only to aircrft with more than  30 seats or a maximum payload capacity of more than 7,500 pounds. Since Mar. 20, 1997, 14 CFR 121  includes aircraft with 10 or more seats that formerly operated under 14 CFR 135. This change makes it difficult to compare pre-1997 data with more recent years' data.
b First phase of operation is the phase of flight in which the first occurrence leading to the accident happened.
c Includes instructional flights performing turns and agricultural flights for spraying and buzzing (repeated passes over a particular location).

SOURCES: 1990-95: National Transportation Safety Board, Annual Review of Aircraft Accident Data: U.S. Air
Carrier Operations (Washington, DC: Annual issues), table 18. 1996-97: Ibid., personal communication, Mar. 10, 1999 and Mar. 28, 2000.