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TABLE 2-9. U.S. Air Carriera Safety Data

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  1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999P
Total fatalities 499 261 146 124 1 526 39 b50 33 1 239 168 380 8 1 12
Total seriously injured persons N N 107 81 19 30 29 26 7 18 31 25 77 39 28 57
Total accidents 90 83 55 37 19 21 24 26 18 23 23 36 38 49 R50 52
Fatal 17 9 8 3 1 7 6 4 4 1 4 3 5 4 1 2
Aircraft-miles (millions) 1,130 1,536 2,685 2,478 2,924 3,631 4,948 4,825 5,039 5,249 5,478 5,654 5,873 R6,692 R6,744 6,793
Rates per 100 million aircraft-miles                                
Fatalities R44.16 R16.99 R5.44 R5.00 0.034 R14.49 0.79 1.04 0.65 0.019 R4.36 R2.97 R6.47 R0.12 R0.015 0.18
Seriously injured persons N N R3.99 R3.27 0.65 0.83 0.59 0.54 0.14 0.34 0.57 0.44 R1.31 0.58 R0.42 0.84
Total accidents R7.96 R5.40 R2.05 R1.49 0.65 0.58 0.49 0.54 0.36 0.44 0.42 0.64 0.65 0.73 R0.74 0.77
Fatal R1.50 0.59 0.30 R0.121 0.034 0.19 0.12 0.083 0.079 0.019 0.073 0.053 0.085 0.060 0.015 0.029
Aircraft departures (thousands) N N N N 5,479 6,307 8,092 7,815 7,881 8,073 8,238 8,457 8,229 R10,314 R10,986 11,636
Rates per 100,000 aircraft departures                                
Fatalities N N N N 0.018 R8.34 0.48 0.64 0.42 0.012 R2.90 R1.99 R4.62 0.078 R0.0091 0.10
Seriously injured persons N N N N 0.35 0.48 0.36 0.33 R0.089 0.22 0.38 0.30 0.94 0.38 R0.25 0.49
Total accidents N N N N 0.35 0.33 0.30 0.33 0.23 R0.28 R0.28 0.43 0.46 0.48 R0.46 0.45
Fatal N N N N 0.018 0.11 0.074 0.051 0.051 0.012 0.049 0.035 0.061 0.039 R0.0091 0.017
Flight hours (thousands) N 4,691 6,470 5,607 7,067 8,710 12,150 11,781 12,360 12,706 13,124 13,505 13,746 R15,838 R16,846 17,428
Rates per 100,000 flight hours                                
Fatalities N R5.56 R2.26 R2.21 0.01 R6.04 0.32 0.42 0.27 0.008 R1.82 R1.24 R2.76 R0.051 R0.0059 0.069
Seriously injured persons N N R1.65 R1.44 0.27 0.34 0.24 0.22 0.06 0.14 0.24 0.19 0.56 0.25 0.17 0.33
Total accidents N R1.77 0.85 0.66 0.27 0.24 0.20 0.22 0.15 0.18 0.17 0.27 0.28 0.31 R0.0059 0.30
Fatal N 0.19 0.12 0.054 0.014 R0.080 0.049 0.034 0.032 R0.0079 0.030 0.022 0.036 0.025 R0.0059 0.011

a Air carriers operating under 14 CFR 121, scheduled and nonscheduled service. Includes all scheduled and  nonscheduled service accidents involving all-cargo carriers and commercial operators  of large aircraft when those accidents occurred during 14 CFR 121 operations. Since Mar. 20, 1997, 14 CFR 121 includes  aircraft with 10 or more seats formerly operated under 14 CFR 135. This change makes it difficult to compare pre-1997 data for 14 CFR 121 and 14 CFR 135 with more recent data.
b Does not include the 12 persons killed aboard a SkyWest commuter aircraft when it and a U.S. Air aircraft collided.

KEY: N = data do not exist; P = preliminary; R = revised.

NOTES: Miles, departures, and flight hours are compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration.Rates are computed by dividing the number of fatalities, serious injuries, total accidents, and fatal accidents by the number of miles, departures, or flight hours. These figures are based on information provided by airlines to the U.S. Department of Transportation,Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information.

SOURCES:
Fatalities, accidents, miles, departures, and flight hours: 1960: National Transportation Safety Board, Annual Review of Aircraft Accident Data: U.S. Air Carrier Operations,  Calendar Year 1967 (Washington, DC: December 1968).
1965-70: Ibid., Calendar Year 1975, NTSB/ARC-77/1 (Washington, DC: January 1977).
1975 (all categories except miles): Ibid., Calendar Year 1983, NTSB/ARC-87/01 (Washington, DC: February 1987), table 18.
1975 (miles): Ibid., Calendar Year 1975, NTSB/ARC-77/1 (Washington, DC: January 1977 ).
1980: Ibid., Calendar Year 1981, NTSB/ARC-85/01 (Washington, DC: February 1985), tables 2 and 16.
1985-99: National Transportation Safety Board, Internet site www.ntsb.gov/aviation/Table5.htm, as of May 8, 2000. Serious injuries:
1970-94: Ibid. Annual Review of Aircraft Accident Data: U.S. Air Carrier Operations (Washington, DC: Annual issues).
1995-99: Ibid. Analysis and Data Division, personal communications, Aug. 8, 1996; 1997; Mar. 10, 1999; Mar. 28, 2000.

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