FAA Data: Airline Close Calls Are Increasingly Frequent

The New York Times reports:

While there have been no major U.S. plane crashes in more than a decade, potentially dangerous incidents are occurring far more frequently than almost anyone realizes — a sign of what many insiders describe as a safety net under mounting stress.

So far this year, close calls involving commercial airlines have been happening, on average, multiple times a week, according to a Times analysis of internal F.A.A. records, as well as thousands of pages of federal safety reports and interviews with more than 50 current and former pilots, air traffic controllers and federal officials.

The incidents often occur at or near airports and are the result of human error, the agency’s internal records show. Mistakes by air traffic controllers — stretched thin by a nationwide staffing shortage — have been one major factor.

Read the full article.

Major new @nytimes investigation: Close calls involving US airlines are occurring far more frequently than has been made public, with multiple dangerous incidents happening every week on average this year. @melbournecoal @emilysteel https://t.co/xkqlR7jlyM

— David Enrich (@davidenrich) August 21, 2023

Great story, with visuals showing near misses. US has shortage of air traffic controllers, which officials believe may be “leading to close calls, in which planes nearly crash. There were at least 46 near misses involving commercial airlines last month” https://t.co/h0OOEGGyl3

— Kim Zetter (@KimZetter) August 21, 2023