Aviation Safety
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Plane crashes are surprisingly common, especially small General Aviation aircraft vs. larger commercial operators. In 2018, the fatal accident rate rose above 1 per 100,000 flight hours, which is an increase of approximately 13% from previous years.
Plane Crashes in Colorado
According to the Colorado Sun, between 2014 and 2017, Colorado ranked fifth in number of fatal aircraft crashes in the U.S.
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According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there are around three small plane crashes in the U.S. per day. |
Small Planes, Flight Schools, and Safety
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General Aviation airports are generally located in populated areas, which makes them attractive to locals who want to learn how to fly, as larger airports cannot necessarily handle the infrastructure for commercial and general aviation. However, this presents a risk for people nearby who live within a small radius of a training school flight near the airport (these training flights are generally one hour in duration, so the assumption is within a half-hour flight time radius of the airport in question).
Per the State of Minnesota DOT, Airport Compatibility Manual:
The greatest risk of an aviation-related accident is during takeoff and landing within a few miles of an airport, particularly in areas closest to the ends of the runway and the runway centerline extended. On average, about 200 people are killed in general aviation accidents every year, says the Federal Aviation Administration.
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This is not an abstract question. Innocent bystanders have been killed by small GA planes that fly over their neighborhoods. In March of 2021, a small plane in Orlando crashed after takeoff into a SUV driving through a residential neighborhood near the airport. The passengers of the plane were killed, as was a 4 year old boy riding in the SUV. The cause has not yet been determined, but is suspected to have been engine related (at least 3 of the incidents that have occurred in the front range area so far in 2021 have involved unspecified engine issues). Planes frequently crash into houses, cars, and other structures. San Bernardino in 2019, Nevada in 2006, Virginia in 2020, and Maryland in 2014. Some of these crashes resulted in injuries or deaths for those unfortunate to be inside the homes at the time of the crash.
In 2021 alone, planes have crashed into houses in Logan, Utah; Monterey, California; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Lyon Township, Michigan; Columbia, South Carolina; Leicester, Massachusetts; Worthington, Ohio; and surely the list will continue to grow. What almost all of these crashes have in common is that they are located in close proximity (~3 miles) to a general aviation airport. 
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