Science: Safety Upstairs

Nowadays a man or woman who climbs into a regularly scheduled U. S. transport plane should feel in good hands. U. S. airlines closed 1939 last week with a banner year for safety. The airlines keep their fingers crossed, fearful that slips of one kind or another may still cause accidents. But the ramified science of air safety—including training and supervision of personnel, operation rules, technological aids —last year entered a new era.

On Jan. 13 a crash in Montana killed two passengers, two crew members. On March 26 a crash in Oklahoma killed seven passengers, one crew member. Total passenger deaths: nine. Thereafter, despite a travel increase estimated at 40% over 1938, there was no other passenger fatality for the rest of the year. All told, the lines piled up about 733,000,000 passenger miles —423,000,000 of them during the year’s spotless last half.

In passenger miles per passenger fatality, 1936 and 1937 were far worse than 1933; 1938 was no better than 1933; but 1939 was in a class by itself. The figures:

Year Passenger Miles per Fatality

1933 22,000,000

1934 11,000,000

1935 21,000,000

1936 10,000,000

1937 12,000,000

1938 22,000,000

1939 82,000,000