It is safer to fly on a major air carrier than on a commuter airline, and a recent crash demonstrates why.

On the evening of October 19, 2004, American Connection Flight 5966 crashed on approach near Kirksville, Mo. The BAe Jetstream 32 was being operated by Tennessee-based Corporate Airlines as a scheduled American Airlines connection from St. Louis to Kirksville Regional Airport.

According to the National Weather Service, visibility was about four miles at the time, with low clouds creating a 300-foot ceiling.

Wendy Bonham and Dr. John Krogh, both of Salt Lake City, Utah, were the only survivors. The crash killed 11 passengers and two pilots. Bonham suffered 10 breaks in her right arm, second- and third-degree burns on her head, neck and ears, and a serious shrapnel injury in her left leg.

COCKPIT VOICE RECORDINGS

“As evidenced by cockpit voice recordings and recorded flight data, this crash involved serious deficiencies and lapses in flight crew judgment, poor cockpit resource management and crew fatigue,” said Michael L. Slack, who represents Wendy Bonham, her husband Russ, and their family.

“The flight crew demonstrated reckless disregard for the safety of the passengers and ignored alert after alert as the aircraft descended into dangerous proximity to terrain,” said Slack.

“We’ve come to the conclusion that you people should all shut the (expletive) up,” one of the pilots derisively joked about the passengers minutes before the crash.

“Too many of these (expletives) take themselves way too serious[sic] in this job. I hate it…” one pilot said about more safety-conscious pilots with whom he had flown.

When altitude alerts sounded, the pilots ignored them, according to the cockpit voice recordings.

“Not only were the pilots flippant and unprofessional, they failed to follow proper cockpit procedures and were unprepared for the difficult approach ahead. This was the most pathetic and regrettable example of recklessness by a professional flight crew that I’ve ever encountered,” said Slack.

Aviation statistician Richard Kebabjian published an analysis on his Web site (planecrashinfo.com) of National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) data, which essentially says it is four times safer to drive than to fly on a scheduled commuter airline, but it is four times safer to fly on a major airline than to drive.

“Many factors contribute to making commuter airline travel challenging,” Slack said. “First off, the flight crew is usually less skilled, their work load is higher and they fly more segments, which means more take-offs and landings. As a general rule, commuter airline flight crews work longer days than their counterparts at the major airlines. On cockpit voice recordings, frequent yawns and sighs indicated the Flight 5966 pilots were weary after a long duty day.”

Slack added that commuter airlines typically fly into airports with runways that are narrower, shorter or not as well-lighted as major airports. Commuter flights fly at lower altitudes, and pilots frequently have to make non-precision approaches which require greater attention to the task at hand.

“Commuter airlines attract less-experienced pilots, many of whom are just doing time until they can get on with a major airline. Morale can be an issue. Besides flying the plane, the pilots may have to load baggage and tend to passengers’ needs,” said Slack.

WHO’S FLYING THE PLANE?

Flight 5966 was being operated as an American Connection flight. The owner of the aircraft and employer of the pilots was Corporate Airlines, which is affiliated with American Airlines as a commuter air service provider.

“Although the insignia and colors of a major airline may be on the commuter aircraft, or the flight is published as connecting service on a major airline’s system, passengers may not realize that the flight is operated by another entity. They may assume that the pilots are major airline pilots and that the flight is operating to air carrier standards, neither of which is true,” said Slack.

In addition, many commuter airlines are marginally capitalized. Many are run on a shoe string, which may lead to short-cuts in maintenance, equipment or training.

“These factors combine to make commuter flights more dangerous. When you factor in a flight crew that disregards safety checklists, ridicules the passengers, and ignores low-altitude alerts, you’ve got the recipe for disaster,” said Slack.

Cockpit voice transcript source: "Specialist's Factual Report of Investigation DCA05MA004" by Albert G. Reitan, Transportation Safety Specialist, National Transportation Safety Board

COMMUTER FLIGHT DANGERS

For a comparison of safety rates by travel type, including automobile driving, please visit www.planecrashinfo.com/cause.htm. Using the data listed there, one can conclude:

• It is 4 times safer to fly on an airliner than to drive.


• It is 4 times safer to drive than to fly on a scheduled commuter airline.


• It is 12 times safer to drive than fly on a non-scheduled commuter plane (air taxi on demand).


• It is 26 times safer to drive than fly in a general aviation private plane.

Note: To compare airplane fatality rates to automobile fatality rates one must use the same measurements. Unfortunately airplane fatality rates are expressed in number of fatalities per departure or number of fatalities per 100,000 hours flown, while automobile fatality rates are expressed in number of fatalities per 100 million miles driven. Using an average speed of 33.33 mph, automobile fatality rates can be converted into hours driven. This comparison does not take into account the differences in speed between planes and automobiles. If you want to get from Los Angeles to New York, it would take about 6 hours in a plane and 60 hours in an automobile.