If you’re anything like me, you probably check the exit row every time you board. It’s a bit of a ritual, right? We’re told flying is the safest way to travel, and honestly, the numbers back that up. But looking back at the history of aviation, there’s one year that sticks out like a sore thumb. A year that seems impossible by today’s standards.
That year was 1972.
It wasn't just a bad year. It was a statistical anomaly that completely reshaped how we think about safety in the sky. When people talk about most plane crashes in a year, 1972 is the grim champion, with 2,469 people losing their lives in commercial aviation accidents. To put that in perspective, in 2023, the number of fatalities on large commercial jets was essentially zero in many regions.
💡 You might also like: Why Lehigh Valley International Airport is the Smartest Way to Fly Out of PA
The contrast is staggering.
Why 1972 was the deadliest year for aviation
You might think that because more people fly today, there would be more accidents. Actually, it's the opposite. In 1972, there were only about 9.5 million departures globally. Today, we see well over 35 million. Yet, back then, the skies were a bit of a Wild West.
There were 55 fatal accidents involving commercial flights that year.
That is roughly one fatal crash every week. Can you imagine the news cycle today if a major airliner went down every Sunday? The public would stop flying entirely. But in the early 70s, the "Jet Age" was still relatively young, and the systems we take for granted—like GPS, advanced radar, and strict cockpit protocols—were still in their infancy.
The accidents that defined a generation
A few specific crashes from 1972 still haunt the industry. You’ve probably heard of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571—the "Miracle in the Andes." While it’s remembered as a story of survival, it began as a tragic crash in October of that year.
Then there was Aeroflot Flight 217. It crashed near Moscow, killing 174 people. At the time, it was the deadliest accident in history. It didn't hold that title for long, but it highlighted a massive problem: the sheer frequency of accidents in the Soviet Union that often went underreported in the West.
In December 1972, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 crashed into the Florida Everglades. This one was especially frustrating. The plane was perfectly fine. The pilots were just so distracted by a burnt-out lightbulb in the cockpit that they didn't realize the autopilot had been accidentally disconnected. They flew a perfectly functional L-1011 straight into the swamp.
💡 You might also like: Why Cross Eyed Critters Watering Hole is Nashville's Weirdest Must-Visit
1985: The year of the "High Profile" disasters
If 1972 had the most plane crashes in a year by volume and total body count, 1985 is the year most people actually remember. It felt more modern. The planes were bigger. The news was televised in 24-hour cycles.
1985 saw 1,648 fatal injuries.
The most devastating was Japan Airlines Flight 123. It remains the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history. A faulty repair made years earlier caused the rear pressure bulkhead to fail, blowing off the vertical stabilizer. The pilots fought for 32 minutes to keep the Boeing 747 in the air using only engine thrust. 520 people died.
Earlier that same summer, Air India Flight 182 exploded over the Atlantic due to a bomb. 329 people were lost. It was a wake-up call for airport security that, frankly, we’re still dealing with today.
What changed? How we fixed the "Crash a Week" problem
So, why don't we see these numbers anymore? It wasn't just one thing. It was a massive, global shift in how pilots talk to each other and how planes are built.
- Crew Resource Management (CRM): This is the big one. In the 70s, the Captain was king. If the co-pilot saw something wrong, they were often too intimidated to speak up. After the Tenerife disaster in 1977 (which followed the 1972 peak), the industry realized that "deemphasizing the hierarchy" was literally a matter of life and death.
- Ground Proximity Warning Systems (GPWS): Planes used to fly into mountains simply because the pilots didn't know they were there in the fog. Now, planes scream "TERRAIN, PULL UP" long before it becomes an issue.
- Engine Reliability: We've basically eliminated engine failure as a primary cause of crashes. Modern turbofans are incredible pieces of engineering that can run for tens of thousands of hours without a hiccup.
The "Moore’s Law" of aviation safety
Arnold Barnett, an MIT professor, has this theory that aviation safety follows a version of Moore's Law. Basically, the risk of dying on a flight has halved every decade since the late 1960s.
In the period from 1968 to 1977, your odds of dying on a flight were about 1 in 350,000.
By 2018-2022, those odds improved to 1 in 13.7 million.
You’re literally more likely to be struck by lightning twice than to be in a fatal plane crash on a major airline today. But that safety wasn't free. It was paid for by the lessons learned during the era of the most plane crashes in a year.
Is "Zero Crashes" actually possible?
We’re getting close, but the risks are shifting. We aren't worried about engines falling off or pilots being too scared to talk to the Captain anymore. Instead, the industry is looking at new threats.
- GNSS Jamming and Spoofing: This is a huge topic right now. With global conflicts, GPS signals are being messed with, which can lead to navigation errors.
- Climate Change and Turbulence: Clear-air turbulence has jumped about 15% since 1979. It's harder to detect and can cause serious injuries, even if it doesn't bring the plane down.
- Human Factors in Automation: As planes get smarter, pilots sometimes forget how to fly manually when the computers get confused. Think of the Boeing 737 MAX or the Air France 447 disaster.
Actionable insights for the nervous flyer
If reading about 1972 has you gripping your armrests, keep these things in mind for your next trip:
- Wear your seatbelt even when the light is off. Turbulence is the most common cause of injury today. Most people hurt in "drops" are the ones who were unbuckled.
- Fly major carriers in "Tier 1" countries. Statistics show that airlines in the US, Europe, and parts of Asia have safety records that are significantly higher than the global average.
- Check the age of the fleet. While old planes are safe if maintained, newer planes (like the A350 or 787) have built-in safety features that older models simply lack.
- Pay attention to the safety briefing. I know, I know. You’ve heard it a thousand times. But knowing where that nearest exit is—and counting the rows to it—can be the difference between getting out in 90 seconds or getting stuck in smoke.
The era of most plane crashes in a year is firmly in the rearview mirror. We've gone from a world where flying was a gamble to one where it's the most mundane, safest part of your vacation. We just had to learn some very hard lessons in 1972 to get here.
Next time you’re sitting at 35,000 feet, take a look at the flight tracking map on your screen. That tech, and the quiet professionalism in the cockpit, is the result of fifty years of making sure 1972 never happens again.
✨ Don't miss: Why New England Fall Images Never Look Like Your Camera Roll (And How to Fix That)
To stay updated on current aviation safety trends, you can regularly check the IATA Annual Safety Reports or the Aviation Safety Network's real-time dashboard for the latest global statistics.