A commercial plane and an Army helicopter collided, a regional jet rolled over on landing and a family of five was killed after a helicopter plunged into the Hudson River – all three incidents from the first part of this year add to the anxieties of the flying public. The crashes are among more than a hundred incidents this year, involving everything from commercial airliners to smaller, so-called general aviation aircraft often flown by private pilots. And it’s only April. Air carriers even reported a drop in ticket sales following the string of high-profile incidents, as customers reported a fear of flying. That begs the question: Has this year been one of the most dangerous years to fly? Reports analyzed by CNN from the National Transportation Safety Board show the number of accident investigations is down for the first quarter of 2025. The NTSB led 171 civil aviation investigations from January to March 2025, which include commercial, general, rotorcraft and specialized aircraft. During the same time frame last year, there were 185 investigations. And the first three months of 2010 to 2019 averaged 215 investigations. CNN transportation analyst Mary Schiavo attributes the public’s perception of declining aviation safety to the moments caught on video that “rattle everybody.” She points to January’s midair collision between a US Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, caught on surveillance camera, as a prime example that struck fear in the public. “The arrogance of flying through commercial air space without the proper equipment turned on or functioning,” Schiavo said. “I mean, that’s just arrogance beyond belief. In aviation, there’s just no room for arrogance.” The helicopter was flying without using a tracking system called ADS-B. “I think this year is bad, even more, other than DCA, because of all the things that have come to light. Without the NTSB, would we have ever known about the 15,000 near misses,” she said, referring to the 15,214 near miss events the board uncovered from 2021 and 2024, where aircraft were within one nautical mile of colliding at Reagan National Airport. “That’s shocking - we wouldn’t have known about that.”<br/>
general
The New York City-based helicopter tour company involved in the deadly crash on Thursday has previous incidents of aircraft malfunctions, according to records with the National Transportation Safety Board. The company, called New York Helicopter Charter, has been operating helicopter tours of New York City and New Jersey for more than 30 years. The business managed the Bell 206 aircraft that crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday afternoon, killing all six passengers on board. According to records with NTSB, New York Helicopter Charter was involved in two non-fatal incidents, one in 2013 in which a helicopter’s engine failed while five people were on board and another in 2015 in which a pilot made a “hard landing” while 20 feet in the air. The Independent has reached out to New York Helicopter Charter for comment. In 2013, one of New York Helicopter Charter’s aircraft suddenly lost engine power while a pilot was flying a family of four near the 79th Street Boat Basin. The family, two adults and two teenagers, were visiting from Sweden. In that incident, the pilot quickly deployed skid-mounted floats upon realizing the helicopter was “going down,” and landed in the Hudson River. No person on board was seriously injured and a nearby passenger boat helped all five safely get to shore. Michael Roth, the owner of New York Helicopter Charter, told the Wall Street Journal at the time he had “no clue” why the aircraft lost power and that the helicopter underwent routine inspections daily.<br/>
The agency that provides air traffic control for Canada's airports is warning travellers at Vancouver's airport of flight delays over what it says are "resource constraints." Nav Canada says in a social media post that passengers need to check the status of their flights with their airlines before they head to Vancouver International Airport. The agency said earlier this year that there was a severe shortage of air traffic controllers who help manage 18m square kilometres of Canadian airspace. Nav Canada says in a statement that a temporary traffic management Initiative was implemented at Vancouver's airport on Wednesday in order to help maintain a safe flow of traffic due to "personnel resource constraints." It says it is actively working to keep air traffic moving as "safely and as efficiently as possible." Vancouver International Airport says in a statement that travellers can expect delays, cancellations or changes in their flights, which may also affect connecting flights.<br/>
Russia’s upper parliamentary house has approved a law which would expand new leasing agreements to the international market. The country’s Air Code was revised last year to enable carriers to wet-lease aircraft from domestic operators. But a further change, discussed during a meeting of the Federation Council, extends this to leasing aircraft and crew for international air transport. “The federal law will help expand the aircraft fleet for international air transportation, reduce costs for domestic carriers, and protect the rights and interests of passengers,” says Andrei Shokhin, of the Council’s economic policy committee. It also establishes requirements for lease agreements between an operator and a foreign enterprise acting as lessee or lessor. Aeroflot has already taken advantage of the changes allowing domestic wet-lease, and its chief recently signalled that it would explore international leasing options.<br/>
Incheon International Airport, the country’s largest international air transport hub, saw more than 18.6m international passengers in the first quarter of this year, the highest quarterly figure since the airport began operations in 2001, the airport’s operator said Wednesday. The figure is a 7.8% increase from 17.2m in the same period last year, the Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) announced at a press briefing at the airport. Notably, the increase is driven by China's temporary visa exemption for Korean nationals introduced in November last year. As a result, travelers between the two countries showed the greatest gains among international routes at 24.1% this quarter compared to the same period last year and was 14.3% of the total international travelers, according to the IIAC. Flights between Korea and neighboring Japan and Northeastern Asian countries also reflected growing travel demands, showing 10.4% and 16.1% growth in passenger volumes during the same period, respectively. While full-scale carriers saw an overall increase in travelers with an 11.3% jump compared to the first quarter last year, the figure for budget carriers was relatively lower at 2.6%.<br/>
The US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) top inspector is reviewing a controversial Federal Aviation Administration decision related to an engine issue that can cause thick smoke to quickly inundate Boeing 737 Max cockpits and cabins. Additionally, Boeing is now developing a software fix to address the concern, which involves a “Load Reduction Device” in the 737 Max’s CFM International Leap-1B turbofans. At least one airline is also now warning pilots that a similar issue can affect Airbus A320neo-family jets powered by CFM Leap-1As. “Our objective is to assess FAA’s actions in response to recent incidents of toxic smoke and fumes entering aircrafts’ cockpit or cabin when Load Reduction Devices are activated,” says a 16 April memorandum from Nelda Smith, assistant inspector general for aviation audits in the DOT’s Office of Inspector General. “We plan to conduct our audit at FAA’s offices involved in the decision-making process for the LRD issue.” The FAA in November 2024 decided against taking immediate steps to address the LRD risk, despite an FAA accident investigation panel recommending immediate action. “We welcome outside scrutiny and will fully cooperate with the audit,” says the FAA of the DOT’s review. Neither Boeing nor CFM, a GE Aerospace-Safran Aircraft Engines joint company, immediately responded to requests for comment. The Leap turbofan’s LRD is a safety device intended to prevent more-extensive damage when an engine loses a blade or suffers severe blade damage. When activated, the system decouples the fan rotor from fan supports, preventing an unbalanced fan from passing extreme loads to other components, according to a February 2024 CFM document viewed by FlightGlobal.<br/>
General Dynamics said on Wednesday its Gulfstream G800 jet has received certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The company had said in January it expected FAA certification for the jet in the first half of 2025. The G800 is part of General Dynamics' business jet offerings under its Gulfstream brand. The aircraft can seat up to 15 passengers and has a maximum range of 8,200 nautical miles, according to the company's website. The certifications mean Gulfstream can now start customer deliveries of the jet and enter it into service in the U.S. and Europe.<br/>