We do not yet know the exact situation following the disastrous crash of Air India flight 171 in Ahmedabad, but the toll of deaths and injuries among the 242 people aboard and others on the ground at the crash site seems likely to be high. The aircraft plainly struck the ground at high speed, and it was fully loaded with fuel for a long flight to Britain, leading to a massive explosion and fireball on impact. Families in India, in Britain and in other nations will soon be grieving the loss of their loved ones. This is a terrible tragedy.
But we should not let natural human feelings of shock and distress change our perception of modern airline aviation, which is and will continue to be an extremely safe activity. Indeed it has been getting safer and safer for many years, to the point where it’s now a rare year that sees more than 1,000 people die in airliner accidents.
We do not yet know the exact situation following the disastrous crash of Air India flight 171 in Ahmedabad, but the toll of deaths and injuries among the 242 people aboard and others on the ground at the crash site seems likely to be high. The aircraft plainly struck the ground at high speed, and it was fully loaded with fuel for a long flight to Britain, leading to a massive explosion and fireball on impact. Families in India, in Britain and in other nations will soon be grieving the loss of their loved ones. This is a terrible tragedy.
But we should not let natural human feelings of shock and distress change our perception of modern airline aviation, which is and will continue to be an extremely safe activity. Indeed it has been getting safer and safer for many years, to the point where it’s now a rare year that sees more than 1,000 people die in airliner accidents.