Planes falling out of the sky?

[The_Dark]

Have you noticed howmany planes are falling out of the sky of late? Does it make you wonder why so many are doing it? I don't know where I would find statistics, but it seems a larger number are crashing than in the past. It makes me wonder if something else is going on we don't know about. Like terrrorist taking over planes to use as weapons and governments shooting them down before they can get to target. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, maye not. I highly doubt that anyone would admit to shooting down a civillian plane.. even if it was controlled by terrorists.

[Msterbeau]

Have you noticed howmany planes are falling out of the sky of late? Does it make you wonder why so many are doing it? I don't know where I would find statistics, but it seems a larger number are crashing than in the past. It makes me wonder if something else is going on we don't know about. Like terrrorist taking over planes to use as weapons and governments shooting them down before they can get to target. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, maye not. I highly doubt that anyone would admit to shooting down a civillian plane.. even if it was controlled by terrorists.

What planes falling out of the sky? Jetliners or smaller civilian planes? I've hardly heard a thing in the past few years. My impression would be the opposite. Does the FAA keep statistics?

[Head Wreck]

everyone has a single propellor plane still in a smoking crater in thier back yard.

[Msterbeau]

This place outta do the trick:

http://www.airdisaster.com/cgi-bin/database.cgi

A quick peek says otherwise. 2005 - 22 accidents are listed; 1999 - 45 listed.

I've barely read anything so I don't really know what planes are involved. This looks to be primarily airliners.

[Rayne]

Have you noticed howmany planes are falling out of the sky of late? Does it make you wonder why so many are doing it? I don't know where I would find statistics, but it seems a larger number are crashing than in the past. It makes me wonder if something else is going on we don't know about. Like terrrorist taking over planes to use as weapons and governments shooting them down before they can get to target. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, maye not. I highly doubt that anyone would admit to shooting down a civillian plane.. even if it was controlled by terrorists.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I rarely watch the news...it's too depressing. I haven't heard of a plane crash in a few months. Not a serious one since 9/11, I believe.

[The_Dark]

Wow.. I am the only one that pays attention anymore.... This is only a partial list of the last few months...

October 22, 2005

Nigeria, all 117 dead

September 9, 2005

Brazil, all 14 aboard dead

September 5, 2005

Indonesia, 99 of the 114 on the plane plus 44 on the ground dead.

September 5, 2005

Congo, all 11 on baord dead

August 23,2005

Puru, 40 of the 98 on board dead

August 16,2005

Venezuela, all 160 on board dead

August 14,2005

Greece, all 121 dead

[Rayne]

Wow.. I am the only one that pays attention anymore....  This is only a partial list of the last few months...

October 22, 2005

    Nigeria, all 117 dead

September 9, 2005

    Brazil, all 14 aboard dead

September 5, 2005   

    Indonesia, 99 of the 114 on the plane plus 44 on the ground dead.

September 5, 2005

    Congo, all 11 on baord dead

August 23,2005   

    Puru, 40 of the 98 on board dead

August 16,2005   

    Venezuela, all 160 on board dead

August 14,2005   

    Greece, all 121 dead

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Whoa. Where have I been?

[Msterbeau]

Venuzuela and indonesia I remember seeing. The rest.... *whoosh*... Never heard a thing about them. I really didn't tune into news this weekend so that explains Nigeria.

Still. If you look at the numbers overall... 1999 was crazy compared to this year. When I get home, I'm going to look through that site a bit and see if that's an anomoly or what, compared to other years.

[Msterbeau]

OK... It appears we're in a slow year. Tough to tell what the last couple months will bring. The last ten years have trended upward compared to overall levels during the entire period. Someone smarter then I might be able to account for the years where there were large jumps in crashes. Or maybe not.

I looked at the last ten tears and then every 5 thereafter back to 1970:

05 - 23 (To date...)

04 - 28

03 - 25

02 - 43

01 - 46 (Including 4 on 9/11 alone)

00 - 36

99 - 44

98 - 29

97 - 31

96 - 29

95 - 32

90 - 26

85 - 27

80 - 20

75 - 23

70 - 33

[Vater Araignee]

If I find the time I'll analyze the data based on the age of the aircraft's and the airline I could turn up some interesting data but it takes time and effort and Im lacking both right now.

[bean]

With these sort of things you have to take into account whether or not its being reported more, or if it really is happening more. Plus, in our post 9/11 world, we will be paying closer attention to plane crashes, particularly because of what The Dark said in his first post, which is possible (terrorists hijacking planes and the gov. shooting them down).

[Goth Brooks]

I'd say the probability of shoddy maintenance or old equipment failing is far far higher than a government shooting down a plane full of civilians.

[Msterbeau]

If I find the time I'll analyze the data based on the age of the aircraft's and the airline I could turn up some interesting data but it takes time and effort and Im lacking both right now.

Good points...

[ZhukovCodeslinger]

extended 24 hour media coverage is the cause of this.... everyone in the news has to talk about somthing and if there is not somthing horrible going on in Iraq, then they talk about plain crashes...

Plane crashes did not used to be news if they did not involve americans or westerners. Now they do because they can be used to fill up time on CNN.

Ever notice how they are worried that terrorists will shoot down airplanes with shoulder launched missiles.... this is "a new threat". The only problem with this being a new threat is that terrorists have been shooting down passenger planes in africa since the early 1970s.... it just did not matter until now.

As for the number of crashes, air travel is up in the third world. Many of these carriers (who make valu-jet look like UNITED AIRLINES) are buying very old "Scrap" planes and putting them into service with bubble gum and non FAA approved parts. That accounts for the # of crashes for the most part.