By Dr. Robert Kelly, D.M.D. General Dentist, McKenzie Dental
In a recent dental news journal I read about a beloved and prominent North Carolina dentist, Dr. Mark Bowman, who died in a private plane crash in March with his wife. According to the NTSB, the plane took off from North Carolina and was headed to Florida when it crashed shortly after take off. The couple was on their way to the Dominican Republic, where they were planning to provide dental care to underserved communities and mentor dental students. What a heartbreaking story it was to read.
I’ve often been surprised when I read in the news about private plane crashes that happen with similar stories. A couple on their way to visit family. A family on their way to a vacation destination. I remember, when I was a child, my mom’s business partner’s husband owned a big construction supply company in Hawaii and would commute by flying himself around the island.
It always struck me as risky after hearing of all the accidents in the news. Some of the more notable plane accidents on private, non-commercial planes that I can remember were Buddy Holly, JFK Jr., and John Denver. Kobe Bryant was in a helicopter but he died in a private aviation crash as well. Harrison Ford almost joined that list when a plane he was flying crashed: miraculously, he survived.
I can’t fault these people for pursuing their passion and wanting to become a pilot to fly in an airplane: to me it is one of the most amazing feats of humanity. In fact, I have always loved the idea of flying and being a pilot was probably something I would have pursued had I not been more interested in health care and chosen dentistry. I always tell people that if I didn’t become a dentist I would have wanted to be a pilot. Ironic, because I have a fear of heights!
After reading about this dentist in North Carolina, I wondered how statistically dangerous it is to fly your own private plane. Flying is still safe across the board, especially when compared to accidents and fatalities from car crashes. However, after researching it, it turns out private planes do have a much higher rate of accidents and problems than commercial airlines.
By many statistical accounts, flying your own private plane is 25 times more dangerous than flying on a commercial flight. Granted, the commercial plane accident rate is miniscule, but there’s a much higher probability of problems and it does seem quite a bit more risky to me. Statistically speaking, the higher numbers were attributed mostly to pilot error and a less stringent approach to maintenance.
So despite my love for flying and dreaming of being a pilot, I have zero plans of quitting my day job! I am happy to squeeze into my middle row economy seat for that long flight with peanuts and a ginger ale, knowing statistics are on my side.