The 185 delegates from 52 states who participated in the 1944 Chicago Convention that created the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) fully intended for the aviation community to investigate, learn and adapt from accidents so the deadly past would not be repeated.
Thanks to their vision in 1944 — and to the efforts of so many more — today’s global airline accident rate is at its lowest ever. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports that last year the global rate was one accident for every 1.6 million flights, a 42 percent improvement since 2000.
Three key areas helped get us to that low rate: data, technology and design.
Those Chicago Convention pioneers recognized the importance of data. From the beginning, ICAO was to be a center for the collection, study, and distribution of information on all significant aircraft accidents. This focus was essential. After all, between 1946 and 1950, on average, U.S. carriers h…
