(WJW) — A jet crashing in Toronto on Monday and a deadly midair collision near an Arizona airport on Wednesday are the latest in a string of aviation-related incidents and collisions in the last couple of months.
Two small planes collided near Marana Regional Airport, an “uncontrolled field” without an air traffic control (ATC) tower just outside of Tucson, Wednesday morning, killing two people. Authorities have released limited details but confirmed there were two people in each plane.
While no one died in the crash of the Minneapolis-to-Toronto flight, at least 21 of the 80 people on board were taken to the hospital for their injuries, according to Delta Air Lines.
Officials still say that flying is safe, especially in comparison to driving, but recent fatal crashes are beginning to raise concerns among the public.
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A Delta airlines plane sits on its roof after crashing upon landing at Toronto Pearson Airport in Toronto, Ontario, on February 17, 2025. (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) -
Investigators look at a crashed Learjet at Scottsdale Airport after it collided with a parked plane Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) -
This photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, shows a small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska on a flight that was bound for the hub community of Nome. (U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
We took a look at the number of aviation crashes that have taken place in the country since the start of the year, and how that compares to recent years.
U.S. plane crashes in 2025 vs. 2024
The National Transportation Safety Board has reported 87 aviation accidents (involving all kinds of aircrafts) since the start of the year. That includes 62 in January and 27 so far in February. That does not count Wednesday’s crash in Arizona.
That is a decrease when compared to this time last year: In 2024, there were 80 accidents in January and 93 in February, according to the agency.
How many U.S. plane crashes in 2025 have been fatal?
The NTSB said there have been 13 aircraft accidents where at least one person died this year, not including Wednesday’s crash in Arizona.
Only one of those has included a major commercial airline. A mid-air collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight about to land at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29 killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft.
It was the country’s deadliest aviation disaster since 2001.
In addition to the D.C. collisions, there have been three other fatal crashes that have taken place in short succession:
- Jan. 31 in Philadelphia: Seven people on a small plane transporting a sick child were all killed when the medical aircraft crashed into a neighborhood. A person who was in a car was also killed.
- Feb. 6 in Alaska: Ten people traveling from Unalakleet to Nome did not survive a small plane crash. The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan reportedly lost speed before dropping down.
- Feb. 10 in Scottsdale, Arizona: One person died and four were injured after two private jets collided at Scottsdale Airport.
These are notable coming after two big crashes elsewhere in the world at the end of 2024, one in South Korea that killed hundreds and one in Kazakhstan where 38 perished.
In 2023, there were no commercial jet crashes that ended with fatalities.
What we know about airplane safety
At the end of 2024, the United States Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Statistics released a report, confirming that air travel continues to be the safest mode of transportation.
“Transportation incidents for all modes claimed 44,546 lives in 2022, of which all but 2,032 involved highway motor vehicles,” the annual statistics report said.
Things looked even better for commercial flying in 2023, the report continued. “There were no deaths from crashes on large commercial airlines in 2023, but several hundred deaths occurred in crashes in general aviation, commuter air, and air taxi services.”
And as technology and federal regulations continue to improve, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study from last March found there’s about a 1 in 13.7 million chance a person traveling on an airplane could die anywhere in the world. However, some countries are safer than others. The United States is considered among the safest countries to travel in, according to the report.
Still, confidence in flying has been shaken in recent weeks, a recent AP-NORC poll found. The poll found that 64% of U.S. adults say plane travel is “very safe” or “somewhat safe.” That’s down slightly from last year, when 71% said that. About 2 in 10 U.S. adults now say air transportation is very or somewhat unsafe, up from 12% in 2024.
The poll was conducted in early February, after the Jan. 30 collision between an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter in Washington, but before the Delta jet flipped on its roof while landing in Toronto.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.