When I first started working on aviation cases 20 years ago, it was not uncommon for my time to be spent defending lawsuits related to commercial airline accidents. Much has changed since then, as the airline industry becomes ever safer. In 2017, there were zero passenger deaths on commercial jets worldwide. The last airline passenger death on U.S. soil was in 2013 when South Korea’s Asiana Airlines Flight 214 struck the seawall while landing short of the runway in San Francisco (Ed note: the print deadline for this article preceded the fatality that occurred on a Southwest Airlines flight in mid-April.)
No other industry that involves the risks inherent in air travel can match the U.S. airlines’ record for accomplishing their ultimate purpose—to safely deliver people from one point to the other. This success is no accident: in addition to commercial aviation’s pervasive safety culture, the detailed inspections, overhauls and testing of an aircraft’s airframe, engine, and components are designed to spot and correct problems before they become catastrophic. Of equal importance, any commercial pilot has years of experience and training before setting foot on the airline flight deck. This training continues throughout all crew members’ careers.
