Air crash victims double to seven-year high
The number of people killed in air crashes doubled last year to a seven-year high, according to the latest figures.
The toll of fatal accidents rose by six to 34, but the number of passengers and crew who perished leapt from 466 to 1,050.
One of the main causes of deaths was "controlled flight into terrain" where an aircraft hits the ground at full power with the crew seemingly unaware of the danger.
Another major cause is where there is a loss of control of the plane for whatever reason.
Until 2004 the figure for fatal accidents had shown a consistent decline.
David Learmount, a safety specialist, points out in the latest edition of Flight magazine that many of the fatal accidents last year involved aircraft registered in states with "struggling economies" where regulatory activity was low on the list of political priorities.
He points out that for the last two decades, airlines in Africa and in parts of Latin America and Asia were responsible for a small percentage of flights, but a large proportion of serious accidents.
Mr Learmount says there was a "continuing absence" of fatal accidents involving major world airlines and up-to-date aircraft.
In 2001 a leaked report prepared for the European Commission claimed overcrowded skies were a disaster waiting to happen.
But air traffic operators and aviation authorities reassured the public that Britain had one of the best safety records.
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