What are the main causes of plane crashes?

Over the past couple of years, mysterious plane crashes have captured the attention of Pennsylvanians. Recently, the remains of a Boeing 777 were found in the West Indian Ocean. It appears that these remains are those of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, the flight that disappeared over a year ago with 239 people on board.What causes these tragedies in air? Four major causes of plane crashes are categorized: weather, intentional, mechanical failure and human error.A Boeing study recently found that 20 percent of commercial aviation accidents are caused by mechanical failure. However, these types of accidents do not occur nearly as often as they did in the past. Advances in technology provide backup systems that allow for less dependency on the pilot. Planes are also built with higher quality components.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, weather plays a role in 23 percent of all plane crashes. While most pilots are experienced in avoiding thunderstorms, there are times where things do not go as planned.

The rarest cause of plane crashes is the intentional sabotage, according to PlaneCrashInfo.com. Only 8 percent of fatal accidents since the 1950s involve intentional acts.The most surprising statistic, by PlaneCrashInfo.com, is that pilot error was a factor in 53 percent of all fatal plane accidents. While planes themselves are safer than ever before, the human element makes flying continues to be a factor in crashes. Human error may be a factor in close to 80 percent of accidents when you include errors by the pilots, mechanics and air traffic controllers. Human error combined with weather or mechanical issues can often lead to fatal tragedies.

Source: Yahoo.com, “What Really Causes Plane Crashes? (It’s Not What You Think),” Jon Schmitz, July 24, 2015