Abstract
During 1990-1999, Alaska experienced 1,684 aviation crashes, an average of one crash every 2 days. Of these crashes, 188 (11.2%) were fatal, resulting in 402 deaths. Since the 1990s, federal and state agencies and non-profit organizations have made cooperative efforts to improve aviation safety in Alaska by installing weather cameras, implementing programs such as the Capstone Program (a federally-funded safety program that provided information about traffic and terrain features to improve pilots’ situational awareness), and creating organizations like the Medallion Foundation (a non-profit organization that promotes aviation safety by providing resources, training and support to the aviation community). This review of Alaska aircraft crash data was prompted by the recent air transportation tragedies in 2010. Preliminary information for crashes occurring in 2009 and 2010 may change as reports become finalized.