Air Safety

Report Outline
New Concern Over the Airways
Federal Regulation of Aviation
Outlook for Passenger Safety
Special Focus

New Concern Over the Airways

Public Unease From Recent Safety Reports

As the number of planes increases and the nation's airways and airports become more congested, more people are turning their attention to the question of air safety. Last year, the United States experienced the lowest death toll from aircraft accidents since 1957—124 deaths in three fatal crashes. In the background, however, were 269 reported instances of air collisions being narrowly averted—“near misses”—which raised the question of whether adequate safety precautions were being taken on the ground and in the cockpit.

Government officials in charge of making the nation's airways safe emphasize that the United States has the safest air traffic control system in the world. According to Federal Aviation Administrator John McLucas, 10 times as many people died in their bathtubs during 1975 as died flying in commercial airplanes. The consequences of one airplane accident can be tragic and nightmarish, however, and for this reason air safety is a concern of everyone who flies. A survey done by the Gallup organization in 1975 indicated that one-half of the adult population had flown that year.

Running through any discussion of air safety is the problem of definition. “It's all philosophical,” said Curtis McKay, chief of the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Carrier Division, in an interview with Editorial Research Reports. “Safety is relative.” Many experts feel the FAA, which is responsible for operating the national airway system, has been lax in exercising its safety duties. The FAA, on the other hand, argues that all certified planes and airports have met federal standards and none is unsafe.