Why Airplanes Crash: Aviation Safety in a Changing World

The authors discuss what private and public policies can do to increase airline safety in an age of the deregulation of commercial airlines. The book compares the US experience with aviation in other countries, especially Canada. Then it examines the three safety issues: the safety margin that allows for human error and equipment failure; the worldwide ageing of all airline fleets; and terrorism and sabotage.

Review :
"To those concerned with aviation safety, this book provides a complete examination of the topic."--Policy Currents "This book should be on the desk of every airline and FAA executive concerned with safety; its conclusions should be the basis of a new aviation safety regulatory regime."--J.E. Murdock III, Baker, Worthington, Crossley, Stansberry & Woolf "These widely recognized experts on aviation safety have provided some important analysis on the subject, putting to rest some concerns that airline deregulation has made the skies less safe, but raising some thought-provoking policy questions about the future of aviation safety in an increasingly globalized and technologically sophisticated air system. It is very readable and a must for policymakers, the aviation industry and all frequent flyers."--John E. Robson, Deputy Secretary of Treasury "Why Airplanes Crash reports the results of a careful analysis of myriad statistics developed over the years concerning civil aviation safety. The material is well-presented both in text and data and is equally accessible to the aviation professional and the interested layperson."--Aaron Gellman, Northwestern University "All true aviation professionals continually focus on safety. Safety relies on an integrated system of people, equipment, and procedures. A great deal of margin is built into aviation, so the key to safety is having the 'man-in-the-loop' well trained and continually vigilant. Why Airplanes Crash is a factual summary of the issues and incidents that have prompted more modern approaches to aviation safety in the cockpit, on the frontline, among our engineers, and in the board room."--T. Allen McArtor, President, FEDEX Aeronautics Corporation "To those concerned with aviation safety, this book provides a complete examination of the topic."--Policy Currents "This book should be on the desk of every airline and FAA executive concerned with safety; its conclusions should be the basis of a new aviation safety regulatory regime."--J.E. Murdock III, Baker, Worthington, Crossley, Stansberry & Woolf "These widely recognized experts on aviation safety have provided some important analysis on the subject, putting to rest some concerns that airline deregulation has made the skies less safe, but raising some thought-provoking policy questions about the future of aviation safety in an increasingly globalized and technologically sophisticated air system. It is very readable and a must for policymakers, the aviation industry and all frequent flyers."--John E. Robson, Deputy Secretary of Treasury "Why Airplanes Crash reports the results of a careful analysis of myriad statistics developed over the years concerning civil aviation safety. The material is well-presented both in text and data and is equally accessible to the aviation professional and the interested layperson."--Aaron Gellman, Northwestern University "All true aviation professionals continually focus on safety. Safety relies on an integrated system of people, equipment, and procedures. A great deal of margin is built into aviation, so the key to safety is having the 'man-in-the-loop' well trained and continually vigilant. Why Airplanes Crash is a factual summary of the issues and incidents that have prompted more modern approaches to aviation safety in the cockpit, on the frontline, among our engineers, and in the board room."--T. Allen McArtor, President, FEDEX Aeronautics Corporation "A thorough analysis of the causes of airline and general aviation accidents throughout the world....The authors have done an excellent job in answering the question they set out to answer."--Journal of Economic Literature "The authors present a wealth of data, intelligently organized, about the relative importance and causation of risk factors in aviation."--Elizabeth E. Bailey, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania "Why Airplanes Crash is a very useful compendium and analysis of air safety statistics and clarifies important policy issues. It deserves a wide audience among researchers, policymakers and passengers concerned about airline safety."--Journal of Regional Science "The authors have accumulated a wealth of information on American and Canadian airline safety and use it to provide a highly detailed account of commercial aviation practice."--Journal of Transport History