Air Force statistics show that the overall number of major aircraft accidents has declined somewhat during the past five years. Air Force magazine reported that there were 42 Class B accidents in fiscal 2021 (Oct. 1, 2020-Sept. 30, 2021), compared to 40 in fiscal 2020.
Class A accidents result in loss of life or permanent disability, a loss of more than $2.5 million due to damage, or the destruction of an aircraft. Class B accidents as the Air Force quantifies it involve permanent partial disability, damages ranging from $600,000 to about $2.5 million, or the hospitalization of three people (not including those who are treated and released).
Tragically, four people died and eight aircraft were lost in 2021, Air Force magazine reported, citing statistics compiled by the Air Force Safety Center in New Mexico and released publicly last month.
Of the eight aircraft destroyed in 2021, two were Air Force-owned and piloted. Five other Air Force aircraft were unmanned, and the remaining aircraft was a manned aircraft piloted by a contractor. In 2020, six of the 14 aircraft destroyed in Class A mishaps were unmanned.
In 2021, 19 Class A flight mishaps and 30 Class B flight mishaps occurred. Two Class A accidents were related to ground operations, while two were flight-related.
The magazine article noted that the number of Class A accidents “has risen and fallen over the past five years,” with 29 in 2017, 30 in 2018, 26 in 2019, 30 in 2020 and 21 in 2021.
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