Reports Show 2002 Safest Year for Air Travel

July 14, 2003

Reports Show 2002 Safest Year for Air Travel
The National Transportation Safety Board issued a report this week stating 2002 was the safest year ever for travel on the nation’s major airline carriers.

According to CNN.com, in 2002 there were 34 commercial airline accidents, most of which were minor. Last year was the first in 20 with no deadly accidents on U.S. commercial airlines. In recent years, a trend has continued in which rates of airline crashes have dramatically decreased.

Airline safety is improving with added technology such as an enhanced ground proximity warning system, which lets pilots know when they get too close to the runway. Training has become more accurate for future commercial pilots, with more realistic simulators.

For more on this story, visit CNN.com.