FlarePath
Research

The whole record, reshaped by a question.

Every count below is the Board's own coding across the cases in scope — findings, occurrences, phases, recommendations, the evidence held. Click any bar to make it the filter. No fleet-exposure data exists here, so these are cases, never rates.

Years–clear all filters
CohortAllMajor investigationPart 121 airlinePart 135 fatal
AircraftAllBoeing / McDonnell DouglasAirbusEmbraerBombardier / De HavillandBellSikorskyRobinsonCessnaPiperBeechcraft
Finding areaAllPersonnel issuesEnvironmental issuesAircraftOrganizational issuesNot determined
OccurrenceAllTurbulence encounterCollision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) Loss of control in flightGround collisionFire/smoke (non-impact)Cabin safety eventPowerplant sys/comp malf/failSys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)TailstrikeControlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)Air traffic eventRunway excursion
Showing 35 cases · 2020–2020
35
cases in this slice
7
fatal accidents
26
lives lost
21
with a probable cause
21
with coded findings
4
safety recommendations

The record over time

cases per year by cohort, and the lives lost — click a year to focus on it
Cases per year
018352020 · Major investigation: 12020 · Part 121 airline: 282020 · Part 135 fatal: 62020
Major investigationPart 121 airlinePart 135 fatal
Fatalities per year
013262020 · Fatalities: 262020
Fatalities

Why accidents happen

21 coded casesthe Board's findings taxonomy — causal findings in the probable cause, contributing factors beside them; occurrences and the phase of flight the defining event sat in
Environmental issues10 cases · 7 causal · 8 contributing
  • Conditions/weather/phenomena — Turbulence, Ceiling/visibility/precip9
  • Physical environment — 1
  • Operating environment — 1
Personnel issues10 cases · 18 causal · 5 contributing
  • Task performance — Use of equip/info, Maintenance6
  • Action/decision — Info processing/decision, Action5
  • Psychological — Attention/monitoring, Perception/orientation/illusion3
  • Physical — Sensory ability/limitation, Impairment/incapacitation2
Aircraft6 cases · 3 causal · 4 contributing
  • Aircraft systems — Landing gear system, Ice/rain protection system4
  • Aircraft structures — 1
  • Aircraft oper/perf/capability — Performance/control parameters1
Organizational issues3 cases · 4 causal · 1 contributing
  • Support/oversight/monitoring — Safety programs2
  • Management — Policy/procedure1
Not determined1 cases · 1 causal · 0 contributing
  • Not determined — (general)1

Solid = cited in the probable cause · outlined = contributing factor · hover a row for the most-cited specifics.

Phase of flight of the defining event
  • Enroute16
  • Landing7
  • Approach4
  • InitialClimb4
  • Takeoff3
  • Unknown1
  • Standing1
  • Taxi1

Aircraft and operators

by manufacturer family and operating rule — counts of cases, with no fleet-size denominator, so a busy family simply flies more
Aircraft family
Operating rule
Operators with the most cases
  • American Airlines4
  • United Airlines4
  • Delta Air Lines3
  • Delta Airlines2
  • Federal Express2
  • Omni Air International2
  • Psa Airlines2
  • Aerovías Del Continente Americano Avianca1
  • American Eagle1
  • Envoy Airlines1
  • High Adventure Air Charter · 7 lives1
  • Island Express · 9 lives1

What changed because of them

4 recommendations · 2 opensafety recommendations issued from these cases, by the NTSB's status of the response
  • Closed · acceptable 1
  • Closed · unacceptable 1
  • Open · acceptable response 2
Issued per year
0242021 · Recommendations: 42021
Recommendations
Reiterated most often
  • A-21-005reiterated ×1Open - Acceptable Response

    TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Require the use of appropriate simulation devices during initial and recurrent pilot training for Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 helicopter operations to provide sce…

    DCA20MA059
  • A-21-006reiterated ×1Closed - Acceptable Action

    TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Convene a multidisciplinary panel of aircraft performance, human factors, and aircraft operations specialists to evaluate spatial disorientation simulation technologies to determin…

    DCA20MA059

Evidence held

what the corpus can show for this slice, year by year — a docket, decoded flight data, a transcript, photographs, controller audio
Public docket2020 · Public docket: 18 of 35 casesFlight-data tables2020 · Flight-data tables: 3 of 35 casesCVR transcript2020 · CVR transcript: 0 of 35 casesPhotographs2020 · Photographs: 4 of 35 casesATC audio2020 · ATC audio: 0 of 35 casesProbable cause2020 · Probable cause: 21 of 35 cases2020
Column height = share of that year’s cases for which we hold the item. Hover for counts.

What the record says for this slice

a pattern, not a findingthe causal findings the Board cited most often across the 17 coded cases here
  • Action/decision › Info processing/decision · Personnel issues · 24%4 cases
  • Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence · Environmental issues · 24%4 cases
  • Task performance › Use of equip/info · Personnel issues · 18%3 cases
  • Support/oversight/monitoring › Safety programs · Organizational issues · 12%2 cases
  • Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip · Environmental issues · 12%2 cases
  • Action/decision › Action · Personnel issues · 6%1 cases
  • Aircraft systems › Landing gear system · Aircraft · 6%1 cases
  • Psychological › Attention/monitoring · Personnel issues · 6%1 cases
  • Physical › Sensory ability/limitation · Personnel issues · 6%1 cases
  • Management › Policy/procedure · Organizational issues · 6%1 cases
  • Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system · Aircraft · 6%1 cases
  • Not determined › (general) · Not determined · 6%1 cases

The cases

35 of 35newest first — open any case for its recorders, transcript, photographs and analyst
DateCaseAircraftOperatorWhereOutcomeEvidence
2020-12-31DCA21WA063
Part 121 airline
AIRBUS A319-115Aerovías del Continente Americano AVIANCABogata—no docket · open
2020-12-30DCA21WA061
Part 121 airline
BOEING 737-824United AirlinesSan Jose, OFNo injuryno docket · open
2020-12-28ENG21WA010
Part 121 airline
AIRBUS A330Delta Air LinesKeflavik—no docket · open
2020-12-23DCA21LA058
Part 121 airline
AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A320-232United AirlinesHouston, TXSerious injury3 docs
2020-12-01DCA21WA041
Part 121 airline
BOEING 757Delta AirlinesSilao—no docket · open
2020-11-14DCA21LA024
Part 121 airline
BOMBARDIER CL600 2C10SKYWEST AIRLINES INCPhoenix, AZSerious injury3 docs
2020-10-24DCA21WA010
Part 121 airline
EMBRAER EMB145American EagleFreeportMinor injuryno docket · open
2020-09-30DCA21LA018
Part 121 airline
BOEING 777Delta AirlinesAnchorage, AKSerious injury4 docs
2020-08-28DCA20WA140
Part 121 airline
Boeing 767Omni Air InternationalBucure?tiNo injuryno docket · open
2020-08-27ANC20LA085
Part 135 fatal
Cessna A185Fairbanks, AKFatal · 2no docket
2020-08-24DCA20WA141
Part 121 airline
Boeing 737American AirlinesMexico City—no docket · open
2020-08-19DCA20LA138
Part 121 airline
Boeing 767Federal ExpressLos Angeles, CASerious injury5 docs
2020-07-31ANC20LA074
Part 135 fatal
De Havilland DHC-2High Adventure Air CharterSoldotna, AKFatal · 7no docket
2020-07-24ENG20LA043
Part 121 airline
BOMBARDIER INC CL-600-2D24PSA AirlinesCharlotte, NCNo injuryno docket
2020-07-09DCA20CA122
Part 121 airline
Embraer ERJ170Envoy AirlinesPlainfield, ILSerious injury2 docs
2020-07-05DCA22LA001
Part 121 airline
BOEING 737-7H4SOUTHWEST AIRLINES COOrlando, FLSerious injury2 docs
2020-06-07CEN20LA215
Part 135 fatal
Mitsubishi MU2BMcNeely Charter Service, Inc.Sioux Falls, SDFatal · 131 docs
2020-06-03DCA20WA112
Part 121 airline
Mcdonnell Douglas MD11Federal ExpressMumbaiNo injuryno docket · open
2020-05-19DCA20LA107
Part 121 airline
BOEING 737Swift Air LLCVictorville, CANo injury7 docs · FDR tables
2020-05-15ANC20LA046
Part 135 fatal
Cessna A185Webster James MNuiqsut, AKFatal · 16 docs
2020-03-21DCA20CA095
Part 121 airline
Boeing 757American AirlinesLas Vegas, NVNo injury3 docs
2020-03-17CEN20LA122
Part 135 fatal
Cessna 208Planemasters LtdLaCrosse, KSFatal · 110 docs
2020-03-08DCA20WA093
Part 121 airline
Boeing 767Omni Air InternationalShannonNo injuryno docket · open
2020-03-05DCA20WA096
Part 121 airline
Embraer ERJ170-200LRApodacaNo injuryno docket · open
2020-02-27DCA20WA094
Part 121 airline
Boeing 737Delta Air LinesMonterrey—no docket · open
2020-02-15ENG20LA016
Part 121 airline
Airbus A319Spirit Airlines IncSacramento, CANo injury11 docs · FDR tables
2020-02-09DCA20WA074
Part 121 airline
Boeing 757American AirlinesSan JoseNo injuryno docket · open
2020-02-07DCA20CA071
Part 121 airline
BOMBARDIER CL-600-2D24PSA AirlinesWaynesville, NCSerious injury21 docs · FDR tables
2020-02-06ANC20FA017
Part 135 fatal
Piper PA32RPaklook Air IncTuntutuliak, AKFatal · 521 docs
2020-02-03DCA20CA077
Part 121 airline
BOEING 747 412Kalitta AirLos Angeles, CANo injury1 docs
2020-01-26DCA20MA059
Major investigation
Sikorsky S76Island ExpressCalabasas, CAFatal · 953 docs
2020-01-22DCA20WA060
Part 121 airline
Boeing 777United AirlinesSydney—no docket · open
2020-01-10DCA20CA058
Part 121 airline
Airbus A320United Airlines IncNew Orleans, LASerious injury22 docs
2020-01-08DCA20CA049
Part 121 airline
Boeing 737American AirlinesNew York, NYNo injury2 docs
2020-01-01DCA20WA084
Part 121 airline
Boeing 757Delta Air LinesMexico City—no docket · open