Air Transportation Accident

Primary reference(s)

United Nations, European Union and the International Transport Forum at the OECD, 2019. Glossary for transport statistics. 5th Edition. Accessed 8 November 2019.

Additional scientific description

Additional information on air transportation accidents from the Glossary for Transport Statistics (United Nations, European Union and the International Transport Forum at the OECD, 2019) is as follows:

• A person is fatally or seriously injured where this is as a result of being in the aircraft, or direct contact with any part of the aircraft, including parts which have become detached from the aircraft, or direct exposure to jet blast, except when the injuries are from natural causes, self-inflicted or inflicted by other persons, or when the injuries are to stowaways hiding outside the areas normally available to the passengers and crew.
• The aircraft sustains damage or structural failure where this adversely affects the structural strength, performance or flight characteristics of the aircraft, and would normally require major repair or replacement of the affected component (except for engine failure or damage, when the damage is limited to the engine, its cowlings or accessories; or for damage limited to propellers, wing tips, antennas, tyres, brakes, fairings, small dents or puncture holes in the aircraft skin).
• The aircraft is missing or is completely inaccessible - an aircraft is considered to be missing when the official search has been terminated and the wreckage has not been located.

Metrics and numeric limits

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a UN agency, established in 1944 to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention). ICAO hosts an application which provides occurrence data as well as accident and fatality statistics to 2019 (ICAO, 2020).

Statistically agreed metrics for air transportation accidents (United Nations, European Union and the International Transport Forum at the OECD, 2019) are as follows:

• Fatal injury: an injury resulting in death within 30 days of the date of the accident.
• Non-fatal injury: an injury, other than a fatal injury, which is sustained by a person in an accident.
• Serious injury: a non-fatal injury which is sustained by a person in an accident and which requires hospitalisation for more than 48 hours, commencing within seven days from the date the injury was received; or results in a fracture of any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes, or nose); or involves lacerations which cause severe haemorrhage, nerve, muscle or tendon damage; or involves injury to any internal organ; or involves second or third-degree burns, or any burns affecting more than 5% of the body surface; or Involves verified exposure to infectious substances or injurious radiation.
• Slight injury: a non-fatal injury, other than a serious injury, which is sustained by a person in an accident.

Examples of drivers, outcomes and risk management

The ICAO lists the drivers of air accidents as being runway safety-related events, loss of control in flight, controlled flight into terrain, and malicious events (ICAO, 2019).

The ICAO describes the overall purpose of their Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP) as being to guide the harmonized development of regional and state safety planning, supported by regional safety activities coordinated by the regional aviation safety groups (ICAO, 2016).

The ICAO is coordinating an international effort to bring together expertise from such organizations as the World health Organization (WHO), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Airports Council International (ACI) and other partners to assist in preparedness planning, not only for pandemic influenza but for other communicable diseases or other types of public health event that might cause a public health emergency (ICAO, no date). The ICAO has published guidelines for states concerning the management of communicable disease posing a serious public health risk (ICAO, 2009). These guidelines are generic, in that they are applicable to many communicable diseases, not only influenza, and can form the basis for management of other types of public health event, such as a nuclear power plant explosion that may emit a radioactive plume that impinges on aircraft routes. They will continue to be modified as more information is gained on preparedness planning. They are based on the WHO International Health Regulations (WHO, 2016).