Concerns over flight safety are growing in the U.S. following several high-profile plane crashes, including a tragic commercial accident in Washington, D.C., that claimed 67 lives.
Google searches for “is flying safe” have surged in recent weeks. However, federal data suggests that 2025 has actually been a relatively safe year for aviation—at least in terms of the total number of fatal accidents.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) typically records about 20 fatal aviation accidents per month in January and February. This year, however, the numbers have been lower, with 10 fatal crashes in January and six in February. The data includes all U.S. civil aviation, from large commercial flights to private aircraft.
Peter Goelz, former managing director of the NTSB, wasn’t surprised by the figures. “Commercial aviation is a profoundly safe way to move large numbers of people, and it gets safer every year,” he said. Goelz noted that private flights significantly impact overall accident numbers. During summer months, wealthy individuals frequently take to the skies in personal aircraft, often piloted by those with less experience in handling unexpected weather conditions.
While the total number of fatal crashes is down, this year’s aviation disasters have been particularly shocking due to their high death toll. The Washington, D.C., tragedy occurred when an American Airlines flight collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter. Another crash in Alaska on February 6 claimed 10 lives. These incidents rank among the deadliest in the U.S. in a decade, according to CNN.
Former president Donald Trump used the Washington crash to attack diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, blaming the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) commitment to hiring people with disabilities for what he called a decline in safety. His administration recently moved to fire about 400 of the FAA’s 45,000 employees, raising concerns about aviation oversight. (A judge temporarily halted the mass layoffs on Thursday.)
“He looked like a fool advancing that theory within hours of the tragedy,” Goelz said of Trump’s remarks. “People were treated again to his underlying cruelty.”
