Federal safety officials say that 393 people died in US civilian plane crashes last year, a 15% increase over the year before. All but a dozen of the deaths occurred in general aviation, which usually involves small private planes. However, the numbers include a woman killed after an engine blew apart on a Southwest flight and broke the window next to her. That was the first death due to accident on a US commercial airline since 2009. And 12 people died in accidents involving charters, air taxis, tours and medical flights. The NTSB released the figures Thursday. It did not break down the accidents by cause. According to board data, so far this year 348 people have died in US crashes, a slightly higher pace than 2018. <br/>
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Toray Industries will not produce carbon fibre parts for Mitsubishi Aircraft's SpaceJet because delays to the regional jet program mean the work is unlikely to be profitable, the Nikkei newspaper reported Thursday. Toray, which is a major supplier of light weight carbon fibre components to aircraft makers, had planned to supply stabilisers for the SpaceJet's tail. Those part will now be built in-house by Mitsubishi Aircraft, a unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the Nikkei said. Originally meant to go into operation in 2013 with ANA Holdings, the Mitsubishi plane has been delayed 5 times. Mitsubishi Aircraft is considering a fresh delay as it struggles to gain certification for the regional jet. <br/>