From the first flight in 1903 to concerns with Boeing 737’s in 2024, The safety of airplanes has been questioned time and time again. For most of us who have flown on a plane, the thought of losing an engine doesn’t even cross our minds as a possibility. For a flight instructor and his student, they experienced this crisis on Wednesday night of August 28th, when they lost engine power while flying a single engine, 1949 Beechcraft Bonanza, and crash landed on highway 840.

Page High Senior, Alex Sanders was driving on 840 when he saw the plane on the other side of the road. Alex drives on that highway frequently and says “I’ve never seen anything like it in real life, only on TV.” Fortunately there were no fatalities and only minor injuries;  However, this incident raises questions of aviation safety and engine failure in particular. Flight instructor Christopher Virga with Triad Aviation Academy says engine failure is rare; However, statistics from the FAA report 242 incidents from April to September, 8 involving engine failures.

While this seems like a lot,  many of these incidents were minor and involved small single-engine planes. Only a fraction of these incidents were with commercial flights, where maintenance protocols and double-checks are done before you even board the plane. These protocols also help eliminate fuel mismanagement which is a leading cause of engine failure.  So, next time you board a flight, relax and enjoy the ride knowing you are safe thanks to the hard work of airport employees, and aviation engineers that are working everyday to make flight as safe as possible.