In 2025, a number of high-profile aircraft crashes occurred. A UPS cargo plane crashed just this week, not long after taking off from the logistics company's centre in Louisville, Kentucky.
Following a string of deadly crashes and criticism (whether justified or not) of the FAA and Air Traffic Control management, concerns have been expressed regarding the safety of US aviation under the Trump administration.
The US ATC has been understaffed despite earlier government investment, which may have demonstrated more flaws in an aged system. Due to shortcomings, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced plans for a new ATC system in May.
Now that 2025 is over, there have been at least eight mishaps involving commercial aeroplanes worldwide this year. Additionally, there have been numerous crashes of military and private aircraft.
The Aviation Safety Network reports that 533 people have died as a result of 151 events in the ASN safety database. 67 people were killed when an Army helicopter and a commercial airliner collided close to the US capital on January 29.
After American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in Queens, New York, just after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport on November 12, 2001, it was the deadliest plane crash in US history. Five people were murdered on the ground, and 260 people on board perished in the catastrophe.
On January 31, a medical transport jet crashed into residences in Philadelphia, only two days after the Washington tragedy. When the plane crashed into the ground and caught fire, six individuals on board and one person on the ground perished.
When a small commuter jet crashed on sea ice in Alaska in February, all ten passengers perished. The regional carrier Bering Air's Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft vanished off the radar when it was travelling from Unalakleet to Nome.
The aircraft, which was carrying nine passengers and a pilot, crashed in Norton Sound, about 34 miles southeast of the western Alaskan coastal city of Nome. The following day, the remains of every person on board were found. It was among the state's deadliest jet crashes in twenty-five years.
On February 17, a Minneapolis-based Delta Air Lines aircraft crashed and overturned after landing at Toronto Pearson Airport in Canada, injuring eighteen people. Since the beginning of the year, this was the most recent aviation incident of its kind.
According to the top executive of the Toronto airport, all 80 passengers and crew members made it out alive. "We are extremely appreciative that there were only minor injuries and no fatalities," stated Deborah Flint of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority.
Emergency services reported that two adults and one child suffered significant injuries in the collision. A stunning video posted on social media showed firefighters cleaning the outside of a Delta Air Lines jet while it was upside down.
A passenger posted a video of someone being assisted from the downed aircraft on a snow-covered tarmac. We're in Toronto. We just touched down. Our aircraft went down. With rasping breaths, they explained, "It's upside down."
On Sunday, March 9, a Beechcraft Bonanza carrying five passengers crashed into a Manheim Township retirement community parking lot and caught fire. Authorities did not reveal the details of the injuries sustained by the five survivors who were transported to the hospital. At the time of writing, their conditions were unknown.
Five cars were wrecked in the collision, according to Manheim Township Fire Chief Scott Little, but no one on the ground was injured.
According to air traffic control radio conversations, shortly after the aircraft took off from Lancaster Airport at 3 p.m. (local time), a passenger reported an open door and asked for permission to return to the airport. Mr Little affirmed that federal investigators will look into whether the event was caused by the open door.
There have also been several smaller aviation incidents documented globally.
On February 1, a United flight from Chicago had to return to O'Hare Airport due to an unforeseen problem in the cockpit. According to police, the driver of the car was seriously hurt when the plane's wing collided with an aircraft tug at the airport.
On February 5, while taxiing at the Seattle airport, a Japan Airlines aircraft also clipped a parked Delta aircraft. On February 2, an engine issue caused a United Airlines aircraft to catch fire on takeoff at Houston airport.
Then, in March, 13 of the 18 people on board Aerolínea Lanhsa Flight 018 perished when it overshot the runway while departing Roatan.
In the July 13 London Southend crash, an aeroplane with patient-transporting medical equipment was involved. The aircraft was flown by Zeusch Aviation, a private charter company that specialises in medical evacuation services and transplant trips.
The cause of the disaster is still unknown, and it's unclear if the plane was being used for a medical evacuation.
Zeusch Aviation said in a statement that it was "actively supporting the authorities with the investigation" after confirming that its SUZ1 flight had been "involved in an accident" at London Southend Airport.
The number of individuals on board at the time of the incident is currently unknown, and no casualties have been reported as of this writing.
There isn't a rise in commercial or general aviation accidents according to the available data, which won't be finalised until the end of the year. They do, however, indicate a rise in deaths thus far. That is due to the more significant mishaps, such as the collision on the Potomac River. However, it does not imply a decline in overall aviation safety.
In the United States, 623 aircraft accidents occurred in all sectors between January and July of 2025. These are the most recent figures that are accessible. In 2024, there were 729 incidents involving all US aircraft during the same time frame. Zeusch Aviation said in a statement that it was "actively supporting the authorities with the investigation" after confirming that its SUZ1 flight had been "involved in an accident" at London Southend Airport.
The number of individuals on board at the time of the incident is currently unknown, and no casualties have been reported as of this writing. This reflects the overall decline in aviation mishaps during the last thirty years.