Mar. 17—A string of recent plane crashes across the U.S. has raised concerns among travelers, despite federal officials insisting that flying remains the safest mode of transportation.
A series of high-profile incidents has heightened public unease. In one case, an American Airlines plane caught fire, sending 12 people to the hospital. In another, a midair collision near Washington in January killed 67 people. More recently, five passengers suffered burn injuries when a smaller plane crashed near a retirement community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The recent deadly aviation events have caused a sense of public opinion to worry when flying, according to recent reports from the Associated Press.
"Federal officials have tried to reassure travelers that flying is the safest mode of transportation, and statistics support that. But the cascade of headlines about things going wrong on airplanes is drawing increasing attention," AP said.
There have been 19 deadly plane crashes in the United States in 2025, FOX News reported. So far this year, at least 106 people have died in a plane crash. Before 2025, the most recent deadly plane crash involving a U.S. airliner was in 2009.
While the start of this year and its deadly aviation events warrant public concern, and also, while the data from the National Transportation Safety Board shows the U.S. has had nearly 150 crashes this year alone, the overall number of plane crashes is actually fewer than how many occurred in 2024, according to the data. In the first two months of 2025, there have been 28 fewer plane incidents compared to January and February of 2024.
While the numbers are preliminary, the Federal Aviation Administration posts incidents within 24 hours, according to the website, while preliminary reports from the National Transportation Safety Board are expected within 30 days from the date of each accident.
"A probable cause of each crash and any contributing factors will come in the final reports, which are expected in 12 to 24 months from the date of the accident," FOX News reported.
NTSB reported plane crashes for January-February:
2024
* January: 80
* February: 93
2025
* January: 67
* February: 78
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