Charter Ops Average 2.2 Accidents Per 100,000 Flight Hours, Says Paper

The FAA, NTSB and other agencies are quick to point out to all who will listen that, by the numbers, this is the safest time ever to fly -- with the last major crash involving a domestic airliner occuring in November 2001, when an American Airlines jet went down in Queens, NY.

However, the picture isn't as rosy when you consider another segment of the aviation picture -- on demand operators. Or, more specifically, small cargo aircraft -- the kind that fly small packages and check stubs throughout the country -- as well as air taxis, charter operators and EMS helicopters.

The Miami Herald reports that, on average... one of these aircraft have been involved in a fatal accident every month, from 2000 to 2004.

The private air cargo auditing group Robert E. Breiling Associates told the paper that in 2004 alone, small cargo planes averaged 2.2 crashes for every 100,000 hours of US operation -- compared to rates of 0.11 for corporate jets, 0.13 for scheduled air carriers, 0.90 for business travel and 1.51 for scheduled commuters.

Furthermore, these accidents are up to 50 times more likely to result in fatalities, according to the NTSB.  

Alas, the only category with a higher crash rate is general aviation -- whose accident rate is nearly three times higher.

The Herald does not go into detail on ways to solve this problem... but it cannot be argued that better training would go a long way towards bringing that rate down. Many on demand operators also fly older planes... with older systems and avionics, as opposed to the newer technologies found in more advanced aircraft.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov