The Metro: Experts say flying still safe despite recent plane crashes having some on edge

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If you are nervous about flying right now, you’re likely not alone.

The last two months have been marked by a string of airplane crashes and incidents. In January, an American Airlines aircraft collided with a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter at Reagan Washington National Airport. All 67 people on both aircraft died. 

It was the first time in 15 years that a U.S. airline had a fatal crash. 

Two days later, a MEDEVAC jet nosedived onto a busy Philadelphia street. The plane exploded and seven people died. 

Then, in Toronto, a Delta aircraft crashed and flipped. It skidded down the tarmac upside down before coming to a stop. There were no fatalities, but the crash left 21 people injured. 

These are just some recent high-profile incidents that have captured headlines and heightened people’s anxieties about flying. 

According to data from the National Transportation Safety Board, 19 fatal accidents have occurred in the skies this year. Those numbers are lower than those for the same periods in 2024 and 2023. 

But, it’s hard not to feel some apprehension after hearing about the Washington D.C. mid-air collision of a commercial plane and a U.S. Army helicopter.

These recent incidents have renewed calls for fixing staffing and outdated technology issues in aviation. During a congressional hearing on Tuesday, leaders of aviation safety and air traffic control associations urged Congress to help fix the staffing issues. 

They also pointed to Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) firing around 400 Federal Aviation Administration employees. David Spero, president of Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, said the firings demoralize the workforce and jeopardize airline safety.

So today on The Metro, we’re looking at the state of American aviation — what needs to improve and how.

Guests:

• Daniel Bubb: Former airline pilot, aviation historian and professor of history and politics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
• Todd Yeary: Former air traffic control specialist with the Federal Aviation Administration. He was in that role during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Use the media player above to listen to the full conversation.

More headlines from The Metro on March 5, 2025:  

• Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin addressed the Democrats following President Trump’s speech to Congress on Tuesday. She criticized Trump for helping wealthy people and raising prices. Slotkin also invited Andrew Lennox, a veteran who was recently fired from the Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs office, to join her. Before that announcement, The Metro spoke with Lennox to explore the consequences of his firing and what he makes of Trump’s actions thus far.

• It’s official — U.S. tariffs on Canada and Mexico are in place. President Trump enacted 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. The tariffs will affect broad swaths of the U.S. economy, but the auto industries in southeast Michigan and Ontario are expected to be hit especially hard. We look at the impacts with John Irwin, a reporter for the Automotive News, where he covers suppliers, electric vehicles and trade policy. 

• InsideOut Literary Arts is presenting its third annual Detroit Youth Poetry Con on Saturday, March 15. The day-long event will allow teen poets to participate in writing workshops and community-building activities and share their work with peers and seasoned writers. To share more about the event, InsideOut Literary Arts Executive Director Suma Karaman and Citywide Poets Coordinator Justin Rogers joined the show.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.