Airbus A320: How safe is the plane involved in the EgyptAir crash?
A320s have been involved in 14 fatal accidents since entering service in 1988
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Airbus A320 - one of which has disappeared over the Mediterranean Sea with 66 people on board - is one of the two workhorses of short- and mediium-haul flying. It entered service in 1988, much later than its rival, the Boeing 737. But it has proved extremely popular with airlines and passengers, and nearly 7,000 have been delivered. The airline with the biggest fleet of A320s (and its derivatives, the A318, A319 and A321) is American Airlines, and easyJet has a very large fleet.
Follow the latest live updates here
According to AirSafe.com, there have been 14 fatal crashes in over 85 million flights.
A male passenger hijacked an Egyptair A320 on a domestic flight and forced it to land in Cyprus in March. None of the 64 crew and passengers on board the EgyptAir flight from Alexandria to Cairo were harmed.
In March last year, 150 passengers and crew died when co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed Germanwings flight 4U9525 into the French Alps.
Lubitz had locked the captain out of the cockpit and deliberately set the plane on a collision course with the mountainside.
An Airbus A320 operated by AirAsia Indonesia crashed into the Java Sea on its way from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore in December 2014. All 162 people on board Flight QZ8501 were killed.
The accident was caused by a problem with the rudder control system, coupled with the pilots' response, according to Indonesian investigators.
An A320 ditched into the Hudson River in New York after hitting a flock of geese and suffering an engine failure in January 2009.
Captain Chesley Sullenberger was hailed a hero after safely landing the aircraft in the water. None of the 150 passengers and crew were seriously hurt.
PA
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments