If it feels like there’s been an unusual spike in plane crashes lately, you’re not alone. The first few months of 2025 have seen a series of high-profile aviation incidents that have rattled passengers and sparked concern across social media.
In January, a tragic mid-air collision between a commercial jet and a military helicopter near Washington D.C. claimed 67 lives. Just two days later, an air ambulance crashed shortly after takeoff in Philadelphia.
Then, on February 6, a small commuter plane vanished from radar and later crashed off Alaska’s coast. And on February 17, a plane landing in Toronto flipped on the runway—miraculously, all passengers survived.
So what’s going on in the skies? Should flyers be worried? According to one commercial pilot, probably not.
Taking part in a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), an anonymous pilot with experience flying Boeing 737s across North America shared his take on the recent string of accidents. His main point? There isn’t actually a dramatic spike in plane crashes—just a spike in coverage.
“They’re not happening any more than they have in the past,” he wrote. “The news has just made it a focus recently, so you’re hearing about it more.”
He went on to add that many of the incidents being reported involve smaller aircraft, not major commercial airlines, and that safety records for U.S. carriers remain “impeccable.”
“We’re right on average so far this year with as many [incidents] as expected. And most of those are small planes,” he noted. “The American airline safety record is impeccable and I expect that to continue.”
Other aviation experts have echoed similar sentiments.
MIT statistics professor Arnold Barnett told MailOnline that while the recent incidents are tragic, they don’t signal a larger pattern or systemic safety failure.
“In the overwhelming majority of months, there are no fatal accidents on scheduled flights anywhere in the world,” he said. “Also, the prominent recent crashes had very different causes, so they offer no evidence of a systematic problem.”
Still, not everyone is entirely reassured. Former pilot and aviation safety expert Shawn Pruchnicki offered a more cautionary take. Speaking to the Daily Mail, he warned that some of the hard-won safety improvements built over decades may be slipping.
“As a former commercial pilot, crash investigator and expert in accident causation, I have seen the safety buffer that took decades to build steadily eroded in recent years,” he said.
It’s a sobering thought—and one that might not sit comfortably as you fasten your seatbelt on your next flight. But the numbers still suggest that flying remains one of the safest ways to travel. And while media attention may be heightened, the actual risk hasn’t dramatically changed.
READ MORE
- Married World Champion skaters killed in DC plane crash
- Father of 28-year-old pilot killed in D.C. crash speaks out
