A Surge in Plane Crashes Raises Alarms Worldwide

Lindsey Smith, ‘27

Editor

In the first few months of 2025, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported 87 aviation accidents, including 14 fatal accidents. This led to a rise of concern for citizens: Is it still safe to travel by aircraft?

On January 29, 2025 in Washington, D.C. American Eagle Flight 5342 was flying from Wichita, Kansas to D.C. with 60 passengers and four crew members. The plane collided with an army helicopter when coming into land at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport; there were no survivors.

After the crash, the Trump administration began firing several Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) employees, which worried some. The employees were fired “without cause nor based on performance or conduct” said David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists Union.

“I don’t think the DC crash was a coincidence. When the helicopter flew into the plane, they should’ve had more than enough info to know where that plane was and what to do,” Sophomore Sasha Isaza shared her opinion on one of the crashes.

Two days later, on January 31, Med Jets Flight 056 was on a flight transporting individuals to the hospital from Northeast Philadelphia Airport to Tijuana International Airport. It crashed in the Caster Gardens neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania shortly after takeoff, killing everyone on board and one person on the ground.

Exactly a week after the Philly crash, a Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet, Alaska and officials lost contact with it less than an hour later. The Coast Guard said the aircraft went missing about 30 miles southeast of Nome, Alaska. The plane experienced a rapid loss of elevation and speed. The crash was one of the “deadliest in the state in the last 25 years,” the US Coast Guard stated.

Following the first February plane crash, there was also one ten days later at Toronto’s Pearson Airport. A Delta Airlines jet flipped on its roof while landing, but all 80 passengers survived. It’s not clear what went so drastically wrong when the plane touched down.

Sophomore Aidan Markowitz stated, “I do believe it was a little strange that all of them happened around the same time, especially since a lot of them were significant.”

In Mid-March, an American Airlines plane caught fire after developing an engine fault. It was supposed to fly from Colorado Springs to Dallas-Fort Worth, but was forced to divert to Denver. Everyone survived, but six passengers were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

On March 24, another plane was found in Alaska. Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser was reported overdue on the night of March 23, according to the Alaska National Guard. A cell phone ping led to the discovery of the missing plane and all three passengers — a father and his daughters — survived.

Because of all this chaos, people have begun questioning whether it is safe to fly anymore. Now deleted post on X, Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, a Trump supporter, claimed, “the D.C. crash was an act of terrorism.” Reddit users also wonder who was on the helicopter and thought “it was insane that a trained helicopter pilot crashed into a plane.” Other social media users have said that these crashes are “related to the Super Bowl,” with it happening a week after the Philly and D.C. crashes.

“The FAA should impose tighter regulations and monitor these things more closely,” Sophomore Alaina VonLidenberg explained. The NISB recommended in March that the FAA permanently bans helicopter operations near the Reagan airport when specific runways are in use. Chairman Jennifer Homendy said, “The NISB will conduct a number of simulations, additional interviews, and continue to examine radio transmissions in case of another occurrence.”

Flyers are concerned with the reliability of Airplanes.