Everybody says that flying is the safest form of travel... but is it really? Ever since the January 5th Alaskan Airlines incident in which a non-usable emergency door flew off the side of a Boeing 737 Max 9, it feels like each day brings with it a new headline of aviation calamity. From planes sliding off of icy runways to more door and bolt issues, here are 18 headlines that prove the aviation industry might be in trouble. 

The negative public spotlight on the state of aviation actually began three days before the Alaskan incident, when a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 collided with a Coast Guard plane on a Tokyo Haneda Airport runway. Five members of the Coast Guard plane perished, but all 379 people aboard the Airbus managed to evacuate its flaming wreckage. That incident can be blamed on human error and procedure, but Alaska's issue puts pressure on the planes themselves. 

Boeing is quickly developing a bad reputation when it comes to safety, something not helped by its two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, also involving 737 Max aircraft. Those incidents sparked federal investigations, and it was shown that Boeing rushed the plane's production to keep up with demand. So is aviation in trouble? Yes and no.

Pilot and air traffic controller shortages pose real problems when it comes to the sheer volume of air travel demand, but the planes themselves are safer than ever. Yes, Boeing needs to sort itself out, but just because social media allows us to see more incidents, doesn't mean there are more. Still... I'd prefer if my planes had doors that I knew were going to stay attached.