Let's get one thing straight first: flying is safe. Each day, around three million people travel by air. Each second, a plane somewhere in the world makes a safe take-off or landing. Of course there occur some accidents in airtravel as well. Obviously, many people don't survive a crash. Because of the usually high number of victims an airplaneaccident is referred to as a disaster. Just like natural-, environmental- and industrial diasters everybody sees airdisasters as negative happenings. That's exactly why the media is interested in the story: they pick up the 'news' very soon. Besides that, people are much more afraid of a crash with an airplane than with their car of an accident in their house. But the actual facts prove that the opposite is correct. In 2003, 1.091 people died becuause of an accident in air worldwide. In the same period of time in the Netherlands, 1.088 lives where taken by trafficaccidents. In 2004, the proportion was even more extreme: 517 and 881. According to the since 1970 recorded statistics, that year was the safest in aviation history. About 20 years earlier, in 1985, the most crashes took place: 2.367 people died. Only the crash of a Japan Airlines Boeing 747SR-46 on August 12 520 people were killed.

The safety in the aviation-industry is still improving. The statistics show this as well. Out of six million departing planes, 69 crashed in 1970, causing 1.583 victims. An airtraveller faced a chance of 11,5 to one million that his plane wouldn't complete it's journey. In 2004, the number of departures was almost four times higher: 22,2 million. Twenty aircraft don't reach their destiny: 0,87 out of 1 million planes crashed. Some researchers calculated that someone has to fly 28 years non-stop and complete 100.000 flights before, statistically, there's a chance of passing away due to an airaccident. But fate is unpredictable, so somebody's first flight can be his last one as well. For some passengers, this is a reason to find out the safest plane, safest airline, safest type of flight and safest place in the aircraft: no simple task!

When you take a look at the top 20 most deadly aircrashes, you'll come across the Boeing 747 and other big planes a couple of times. But it's no unsafe plane, quite the contrary: it has a good reputation and can look back on some fine examples to prove that. Once, a 747 operated by China Airlines started a immense dive. At first, the jumbo jet rolled from left to right, then it went down with speeds over 300 kilometres per hour. Nearly forty seconds later, the crew managed to pull up the nose of the almost doomed aircraft. Not much later, the aircraft made a safe landing. Indeed, not without any damage: the tail wasn't complete anymore and the wings were bend and torn apart. No surprise, with the rough flight the 747 faced 5 times gravity. It's designed for 2,5G at max. In most crashes, the aircraft can't be blamed. If it is, all is done to make sure it won't happen again. An example: when a Turkish Airlines DC-10 crashed due to a ripped out cargodoor the locking system was adjusted on all flying DC-10's. People can conclude falsely that bigger aircraft are less safe than smaller ones. But because these widebodies carry much more people than other types of aircraft, the number of victims is higher as well. For some, this was a motive to shiver when the production of the Boeing 747 started. But that's not only a thought of the past: the even bigger Airbus A380 is facing the same.

Lists of suspected airlines go around the world. Of course, there are also operators which have an outstanding reputation. The question remains whether it's wise or not to base your choice on a list with 10 excellent airlines. Aren't you paying for fake safety? On the first of February, 2002, 800 people above the Pacific Ocean travelled towards each other in two Qantas Boeing 747's. While being in a safe plane of the safest airline in the world, the passengers wouldn't be stressed or scared at all. They didn't know the two planes would crash into each other if both planes continued to fly on their courses. With 800 people aboard, this would have been the most deadly air crash after nine-eleven. Just like in most crashes, not the construction nor controls caused this nearly-crash. They helped to avoid the crash, really. Because both Qantas-aircraft had an advanced warning system to avoid mid-air collisions (TCAS) installed, the crews could safely change their flight path. A human error of the traffic controllers on Tahiti endangered the lives of 800 occupants.

It's impossible to show what flight is the safest with only numbers. You can't tell what's safer: a charter or a regular flight. Investigators do split a flight into three parts: the take-off and climb, then the part where the plane flies at altitude, and the descend and the landing. The middle part, at cruising altitude, is the safest by far. But the Australian Qantas-flight show that a big bang can occur there as well. Wry is the two planes in the biggest crash (again after 9/11) where both very safe Boeing 747's. The airliners didn't have a bad safety reputation either. Although both planes were operating a vacation charter, which is, according to some people, less safe, the accident didn't take place in mid-air, nor descend or climb. While one of the two planes was taxing, the other one used the same runway to take-off, resulting in a ground collision. The crash, that ended the lives of 583 people, is well known for its complexity: never before so many factors caused two immense planes to get so close to each other. If somewhere was bad luck, it was on Tenerife. All that could go wrong, went wrong on Los Rodeos Airport. The history started with a forced divert the misunderstandings piled up. Especially the captain of the Dutch plane is held responsible. On the Cockpit Voice Recorder it's clearly hearable that he neglected the remarks of his own, and the one from the PanAm-Boeing, crew. But still he completed hundreds of flight perfectly and brought thousands of people to their destinations. People play a leading part in more than 50% of the air crashes. Looking at the top 20 shows that it's sometimes not only inadvertently.

It's not always like this, and researchers say that it has never been proven, but passengers that sit in the rear of the plane have a little less to worry about. On photographs of plane wreckages the tail and the rear of the fuselage are quite recognizable pieces. Because the black boxes are situated in this part as well, people think it's a safer place for them too. Whether it's more difficult to get to an exit from the back seats, depends on the type of plane you're flying in: in some aircraft (like the Embraer E-Jets), the people that sit in the middle have to walk the farthest. Sitting next to the aisle or window doesn't matter. Sitting near the aisle brings possibilities to escape quickly, but most of the times the luggage bins excrete their contents. Besides that, people sitting near the gangway are the first ones to get hit by a tax-free bottle. A certain group of passengers prefer a random seat in the back of the aircraft: 'No plane ever flew backwards against a mountain'. They have a point there. When you're sitting next to an emergency exit you're extra responsible. In case of an accident it brings the liability to open the door when told to do so and to help other passengers to get out of the aircraft. When a plane makes a landing on it's belly, the aircraft often brakes in two or more pieces. That way, the nearest exit can move away from the passengers. Or the other way around, of course.

Since most airplane accidents don't happen at cruising altitude but at the start or the landing, it happens a lot that people survive the impact, but don't manage to get out of the aircraft and perish in the flames. Safety warnings are often ignored. 'When we go down, we'll die anyway', is the general statement. But the occupants have, most of the time, good prospects of surviving. In the United States, their statistic chance of survival is even 94%.

Some tips:

1. Wear clothing that's made of cotton or wool: polyester or nylon ignite easily and burn to the skin. That causes burns.
2. A wet washcloth helps to provide a lack of oxygen: put it against your mouth when you're in trouble. A oxygen mask is more effective, of course.
3. Counting the number of seats you're away from an exit helps to find it in the dark. This way you won't get lost in the aircraft.
4. Before a crash, adopt the fetus position and protect your head with both flat hands. Place your feet under your own chair. The more backwards they are, the better.
5. Listen to the commands of the captain, but don't ignore your own ideas: if you can leave the wreck by a hole in the fuselage, do so and don't cue up for the emergency exit.
6. Be firm, but not egoistic. Each time it becomes clear that passengers which don't panic survive the crash and are able to help others.

The search for ultimate safety can continue forever. Unfortunately it's a fact that there will always be people that die because of an accident, also in the aviation industry. That brings immeasurable pain and suffering with it. But it's the risk of life. A surviving relative described that in the following way: 'It's like an aircraft: it doesn't want its passengers to be killed. But sometimes, the destination is further than the plane can travel. And if I can't rest with that, then I still know, God, that you, with all your riddles in life, eventually offer people an entrance to the whole universe.'