By guest blogger Duane Brown, Ph.D.

Recent airline accidents may have made boarding an airplane more of a challenge for people who are afraid to fly and may have persuaded others that flying should be avoided altogether. The purpose of this note is to examine reports about these accidents and offer advice to fearful fliers.

As I was putting the final touches on the second edition of Flying without Fear US Airways flight 1549, guided by the capable hands of Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, landed in the Hudson River. All of the 155 people on board were rescued. This unfortunate incident proved some of the points I tried to make more forcefully than I could ever do. Pilots are prepared to handle emergencies and flight attendants can deal with even the most catastrophic events. What I believe will come out of this accident are measures to prevent the ingestion of birds into airplane engines

Fast forward from January 15, 2009 to February 13, 2009, Buffalo, NY. Continental Connection Flight 3407, a Bombardier Q400 74 seat turboprop plane, crashed on approach to the Buffalo Airport killing all 49 passengers and crew and one person on the ground. What happened? The fact is that no one knows for certain why the plane crashed, but the media speculation has centered on three factors: icing on the leading edge of the plane’s wings, pilot training and pilot illness or fatigue. The pilot did report that ice was building on the leading edge of the wings of the plane, the co-pilot was heard to say on the “black box” recording that she probably should have called in sick, and the pilot had spent an arduous day flying.

On May 11, 2009 a headline in the Wall Street Journal read, “Captain’s Training Faulted in Air Crash That Killed 50.” The headline is misleading because the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has not completed its investigation and has made no pronouncements about the cause of the crash. However, here are some facts that may help you in making decisions about flying. First, turboprops are more susceptible to wing icing than jet powered aircraft. You can ask when you make a reservation if the plane is a turboprop and avoid them if the thought of boarding one scares you. By the way, most commuters are powered by jet engines, not turboprops, which are powered by propellers driven by jet engines. I don’t avoid turboprops, but you may choose to do so. You are in control. If you fly commuters you are often in the hands of less experienced professionals than you will be if you fly on larger jets, although not necessarily less skilled. You have to decide if you want to fly on commuter aircrafts. It may help you as you decide to know that safety record for large aircraft is only slightly better than that for commuters.

It always saddens me to read about any type of plane crash, but the report of the June 1, 2009 Air France A330 crash into the Atlantic Ocean killing all 228 people aboard was particularly troubling. The investigation thus far has centered on the possibility that the air speed indicator was faulty and the plane stalled because its speed was insufficient to produce the lift needed to keep it in the air, but we may never be known what happened. All that can be said is that the air speed indicators had failed on other A330s and have now been replaced on the entire fleet. Would I board and Air France flight tomorrow and fly to Paris? In the immortal words of Sarah Palin,“You betcha.” What if the plane is an A330? No problem for me. However, there are many types of planes and many airlines. If you are going to Europe you are probably going to have to fly unless you are rich and have a week to go over and a week to come back on an ocean liner.

Turbulence is a scary issue for most fliers. An incident that occurred on August 3, 2009 undoubtedly got the attention on many fearful fliers. Twenty six people were injured, four seriously, when their B-767-200 encountered severe turbulence over the Atlantic Ocean. The Continental Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Miami. Predictably, the people who were injured were flying without fastening their seatbelts even thought the pilot had illuminated the fasten seatbelt sign. If you surf the net you will learn that injuries due to turbulence are rather common. Planes are built to withstand severe turbulence. Passengers are not built to withstand being tossed around or slammed into the ceiling. Fasten your seatbelts even if the fasten seatbelt sign is not illuminated.

Finally, I remain committed to air travel. Call me crazy, but highways filled with teenagers, alcoholics, sleep deprived truck drivers, gray haired seniors driving modified tanks, and all manner of people using cell phones as they drive scare me far more than any commercial aircraft ever will.

Bio: Duane Brown, Ph.D. is the author of Flying Without Fear and is a former lead trainer for American Airlines’ AAir Born program. The second edition of Flying Without Fear is now available.