Image: © gece33 | iStockphoto
This article is the seventh in a series on landmark events in aviation since Flight Safety Foundation was founded in 1945.
For decades, approach and landing accidents (ALAs) have been among the foremost killers in aviation. The approach and landing phase of flight carries more risks than any other, with more than half of all accidents — primarily controlled flight into terrain (CFIT), loss of control–in flight (LOC-I), or runway excursions — occurring as an aircraft nears the end of its journey.
Despite dramatic declines in their numbers, ALAs are still recorded every year. Data compiled by Flight Safety Foundation’s Aviation Safety Network (ASN) shows that in 2024, there were nine fatal ALAs involving airliners and corporate aircraft (of the nine, six were jet airliners and three were turboprops) with …
