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A rather alarming number of aviation accidents have occurred during the past month. It all started with American Airlines #5342 and a US Army helicopter colliding above Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). It was the deadliest United States aviation incident in over 20 years and resulted in nearly 70 fatalities.
Not even 48 hours later, a private medical jet ferrying a young patient and her mother back to Mexico crashed in spectacular fashion shortly after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE).
On February 6, a Cessna Grand Caravan with 10 people crashed in Alaska. On February 10, a pair of private jets (one of which belongs to Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil) smacked together in Scottsdale (SDL), resulting in one fatality.
And yesterday, Delta Air Lines #4819 (operated by Endeavor Air) from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) to Toronto Pearson (YYZ) apparently crashed upon landing in Canada. Passengers and crew evacuated the CRJ-900 which came to a rest upside down. More than a dozen people were injured. Thus far, there are no fatalities (let’s hope it stays that way. What a testament to the flight attendants and others who helped with the evacuation!)
Folks are quick to blame their least favorite politicians (living, dead, serving, retired), policies that may or may not have had anything to do with the incidents, or a variety of other issues.
But something I see a lot on social media and even hear from people I know are words to the effect of, “I’m afraid to fly.”
I’m really considering canceling my flight to ATL. I just don’t wanna drive 8 hours but with all these plain crashes. It’s really really making me nervous. I’ve NEVER been afraid to fly.
— Sneaker Boots (@OwtSpok3n) February 18, 2025
Bro, I fly a LOT for work, and I am legit starting to get scared to continue to do so. https://t.co/4kqxY06gIi
— Athens Steve (@rainy_steve) February 17, 2025
I’ve never been more scared to fly ever. & I watched the movie Sully flying out of New York.
— Chloé Schaefer (@pinknpolitics) February 17, 2025
Spoke to my family and we all agreed not to fly to see each other this year. The aviation incidences and crashes over the last few weeks has left us scared to fly.
Anyone else feeling scared to fly?
— CJ (@CJ_isnowblue) February 8, 2025
Those fears can’t be dismissed. I think they’re natural. Plane crashes are headline news because they’re so rare — even when they seem to happen in a flurry.
But think about car accidents. I can turn on the morning news and see reports of two or three fatal car accidents practically every day. Sadly, those aren’t rare. And those are just the car accidents that actually get reported and just in my local news market. How many car accidents have you been in that weren’t front page news? (Two for me, even though they felt like front page news to my family and me!)
I’m not afraid to fly. I still look up at planes flying overhead and quietly say, “Lucky ducks!” to passengers on their flights. But the recent crashes will probably be in the back of my head when I fly in a few weeks. Thoughts of those incidents might make cameo appearances here and there during my trip. But I already look forward to my air travels! (One of which is to Reagan Airport.)
”…there’s no way in hell I’d be on this plane.”
My dad was a longtime road warrior and never very afraid of flying — until he found himself on a flight from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Minneapolis in early August 1981. This was right after President Ronald Reagan fired 11,359 air traffic controllers. (Contrary to some assumptions, there apparently haven’t been any air traffic controllers fired as part of recent FAA cuts. )
The plane was still on the ground in Chicago and my old man tells me he was nervous. So much so that the guy next to him noticed the white knuckles and other signs of anxiety. The passenger asked my dad if he was scared to fly. My dad acknowledged that the recent ATC firings had him worried.
“Listen,” the guy said. “I’m a pilot. I fly for this airline. My son has a basketball game tonight. I’m going to be there. If I were the slightest bit worried about my safety, there’s no way in hell I’d be on this plane.
My dad said that instantly made him feel safe — and he hasn’t been afraid to fly since.
“If the pilots think it’s safe to fly, then that’s all the reassurance I need,” he said. “They want to get home to their families, too.”
And there actually are instances when pilots have canceled flights because they weren’t 100% satisfied with a safety concern. Check out this American Airlines captain canceling a trip.
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You’ll Be OK
Like I said, if recent events turned you into a nervous — more even more nervous — flyer, that’s understandable. I certainly don’t blame you.
Remember, though, that your pilots and flight attendants wouldn’t be on the plane if they felt something was dangerous. The ramp people and dispatchers wouldn’t let a plane depart if they were worried. They’re all above my pay grade and knowledge level. So, if they think everything is good, then I trust them.
Are You Worried About Flying?
Are you at all concerned about flying? Are you canceling trips or making alternate plans because of recent aviation accidents?
Please share your thoughts in the below Comments section.To borrow from a popular (and often hilarious) meme trend: We listen and we don’t judge. At least, on this topic. 😉
(And remember that this isn’t a political blog.)
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I’m more nervous about flying now than I’ve ever been. Five days before a flight, I’m on needles and pins when my upgrade hasn’t cleared. And I totally freak out at the three-day window when it STILL hasn’t cleared. Nervous? You better believe it!
You never disappoint, Wayne!
That is hilarious!
@Barry – Wayne has his priorities straight 🙂
i am more worried about the mistakes due to overloading. The most scary one is the air traffic control because they are really overloaded. Then the pilots at the cheaper airlines because they have to work a lot. This is very true for middle eastern airlines because they are not well regulated in these countries and it is wild wild west at the moment in terms of work conditions.
Nope. What does concern me is driving since motor vehicle fatalities are one of the leading causes of death in the U.S.
I am not nervous about flying today due to the recent plan crashes but I am concerned about flying this summer and fall once the cuts at the FAA are being felt. While this week’s layoffs didn’t include ATC, it did include the personnel who maintain ATC systems.
Every time I fly, I ask G-d to get us there safely. It’s in His hands. Praying is much more productive than worrying. So the answer is, No, these incidents have not made me more worried. If I were nasty to someone that day, then i would be more worried.
Not at all. Hoping airfares will actually go down due to these incidents so I can travel more in less crowded airports & planes just like covid times. Sorry folks, that’s just me
I have long been concerned about flying commuter airlines, now called regional airlines. Both recent crashes have been those. I do not consider them very dangerous but have considered them to be higher risk. That might be because of less experienced pilots and less capable aircraft used. Once the pilots have an opportunity, they move up to Delta, American, United, etc. They don’t stick with working for PSA American Eagle or Endeavor Delta Connection.
In my experience, these flights are also canceled more often.
Before, I had no choice. I even flew aboard 19 seat planes. Now, I don’t fly on them much. Sometimes, I get suckered into flying on an Embraer 175 operated by a commuter airline.
I am on another regional jet this week…….In a snow packed airport…
Just got into EWR this past Saturday from MCO thru ATL. This Saturday I’m doing EWR-ATL-BNA. Is all this on my mind…gotta admit…yeah. (And I’m a guy that would actively seek out the most convoluted connections back in the MQM days!)
Moment of silence for the dearly departed MQM.
I always have preferred my pilots to be older than the airplane that they are flying. There is a good argument to be made for experience.
Why don’t you make a post of the monthly and yearly statistics in the last 10 years and you would be surprised about the fear mongering from the media. This is why I hate the fake news propaganda.