It is a weirdly specific way to track time, but for a lot of people, the start of 2017 marked a "before and after" in how we look at the government, the FAA, and even the literal planes we sit in. If you've spent any time on certain corners of the internet, you might have seen a narrative that air travel has somehow gotten more dangerous over the last decade. Honestly? The truth is way more complicated than a simple "yes" or "no."
Back in January 2018, Donald Trump actually tweeted about this. He claimed that since he took office, there had been "zero deaths" in commercial aviation, calling it the best year on record. And technically, for the U.S. domestic market in 2017, he was right. It was an incredibly safe year. But aviation is a global machine. Since that tweet, we’ve seen some of the most gut-wrenching, high-profile disasters in history. We're talking about software that took over cockpits, planes being shot out of the sky in war zones, and a recent string of "near misses" that have everyone from pilots to frequent flyers feeling a little twitchy.
The Boeing 737 MAX Saga: A Turning Point
You can’t talk about plane crashes since Trump without talking about the Boeing 737 MAX. This is the big one. It changed the entire relationship between the FAA and the companies it’s supposed to be watching.
In October 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 plunged into the Java Sea. Just five months later, in March 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 did the exact same thing. Combined, 346 people died.
The culprit? A piece of software called MCAS. Basically, because the MAX had bigger engines than the old 737s, Boeing had to mount them further forward. This changed the plane's aerodynamics, making it prone to pitching up. To "fix" this, MCAS was designed to automatically push the nose down. The problem was that the software relied on a single sensor. If that sensor failed, the plane thought it was stalling and fought the pilots for control.
The pilots literally had to try and "out-muscle" a computer that was convinced it was saving them.
What makes this a political and regulatory story is how it was handled. It came out later that Boeing had downplayed the system's power to avoid the need for expensive pilot simulator training. The FAA, which had traditionally been the "gold standard" for safety, was accused of being way too cozy with Boeing. It was a massive blow to American prestige in the skies.
High-Profile Disasters Beyond Software
While Boeing was dominating the headlines, other tragedies reminded us that the world is a messy place. In January 2020, just as the world was starting to hear about a new virus in Wuhan, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down by Iranian surface-to-air missiles. All 176 people on board were killed.
Iran eventually admitted it was a "horrible mistake" during a period of high tension with the U.S. It wasn't a mechanical failure; it was a byproduct of geopolitical chaos.
Then you have the mystery of China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 in 2022. That plane didn't just crash; it entered a near-vertical dive from 29,000 feet. It hit the ground so hard it created a 66-foot deep crater. While the final report is still a point of discussion, initial data suggested it might have been a deliberate act from within the cockpit. It’s a chilling reminder that no matter how good the tech is, the "human factor" is the one thing we can never fully automate away.
The Statistical Reality vs. The "Vibe"
Look, I get it. Every time you see a door plug blow out of an Alaska Airlines flight or two planes clip wings on a runway in 2024 or 2025, it feels like the sky is falling. But let’s look at the actual numbers.
Statistics from 2017 through 2026 show that commercial flying remains statistically the safest way to travel. Period. In 2017, there were roughly 10 fatal accidents globally. In 2023, that number was even lower. The "accident rate" has actually been on a downward trend for forty years.
So why does it feel worse?
- Social Media: We see every single GoPro video of a shaky landing in real-time.
- The 737 MAX hangover: People don't trust the manufacturers like they used to.
- Close Calls: There has been a genuine spike in "near-collisions" at U.S. airports. The NTSB has been sounding the alarm about air traffic controller fatigue and staffing shortages for years.
What has changed since 2017?
The biggest shift isn't necessarily the number of crashes, but the type of scrutiny. The "Organization Designation Authorization" (ODA) program—which basically lets Boeing employees act as FAA inspectors—came under heavy fire.
New laws, like the Aircraft Certification Reform and Accountability Act, were passed to try and fix this. The idea is to make sure the "fox isn't guarding the henhouse" anymore. We also see a lot more focus on "mental health" for pilots after several incidents where "human factors" were suspected.
Is it safe to fly right now?
In a word: yes. You’re still more likely to get hurt driving to the grocery store than on a cross-country flight. But "safe" doesn't mean "perfect." The aviation industry is currently facing a massive "experience gap."
A lot of senior pilots and mechanics retired during the 2020-2022 period. Now, we have a lot of new people coming into the system all at once. That doesn't mean they aren't qualified, but it does mean the "corporate memory" of safety procedures is being tested.
Actionable Steps for the Nervous Traveler
If you're worried about the state of aviation, there are a few things you can actually do to feel more in control:
- Check the Equipment: Use sites like SeatGuru or FlightAware to see what aircraft model you’re flying on. If you’re still sketched out by the MAX, most booking sites allow you to filter for "non-MAX" flights.
- Fly Direct: Most accidents happen during takeoff or landing. Reducing your number of connections literally reduces your risk.
- Pay Attention to the Safety Briefing: Yeah, I know, nobody does it. But in the rare event of a "water landing" or decompression, knowing where your nearest exit is (count the rows!) makes a huge difference.
- Follow the NTSB: If you actually want the truth and not "clickbait," follow the National Transportation Safety Board's reports. They are dry, boring, and factual—which is exactly what you want when it comes to safety.
Aviation safety is a relay race that never ends. While the "Plane Crashes Since Trump" era has had some terrifying moments, those moments are exactly what force the industry to tighten the screws. We’ve moved from an era of "fixing things after they break" to "predictive safety." We aren't there yet, but the data shows we're getting closer.