Aviation is NOT dangerous

The main remark I am getting when I mention that I am a private pilot is something along the lines:

"Whoa, this must be soooooooooo dangerous!"

No, it is not.

For some reason, there is a very common misconception that flying general aviation airplanes is dangerous.

Flying is probably one of the most regulated activity. Flying is the only activity where safety is tought at every stage of the apprenticeship and even after. Every aviation book, magazine and instructor spends a very large amount of mindshare on safety. Every flight is prepared and planned with safety at the center of the planning.

Airplanes are inspected and maintained every 50 hours. Airplanes' airworthyness is re-assessed every 50 hours and it is made sure that the plane is safe to fly. Aircraft engines are replaced every 1500 - 2400 hours.

And general aviation very high safety track record is proven by statistics. Look at the safety statistics below:




This basically means that if you fly, you have 0.0014% chances to die in an accident.

It also means that you have 0.0067% chances of having an accident.

All event that "should not have happened" are counted as accident. This include minor incidents such as a landing roll breaking problem, fuel starvation and successful emergency landing and also plane crashes.

It is definitely more dangerous to drive to the airport that to fly. So, please, stop the "general aviation is dangerous" myth now!


Source: National Transport and Safety Board - Aviation Accident Statistics