After a string of airplane crashes and near-misses, many people are feeling wary of flying these days.
But a retired Delta pilot who lives here in Marblehead hopes to reassure people that air travel is still safe. George Hooper flew with Delta for more than 30 years, usually from New York to Europe. He retired two years ago and has been keeping track of the recent incidents.
In late January, a military helicopter collided with a Delta passenger plane in mid-air near Washington, D.C., killing all 67 people on board.
“The accident in D.C. was very serious,” Hooper said. “I used to fly in and out of there all the time. We’d always see all the helicopters below us.”
A few days later, a medical plane crashed into buildings in Philadelphia on Jan. 31, killing everyone on board.
On Feb. 2, a United Airlines plane caught fire during takeoff in Houston. A Japan Airlines plane clipped a parked Delta plane in Seattle on Feb. 5. On Feb. 17, a Delta flight from Minneapolis flipped onto its roof during a landing in Toronto.
Then, on Feb. 25, a Southwest Airlines flight nearly collided with a private plane on the runway at Chicago’s Midway Airport.
“That was less than two or seconds away from being a huge disaster,” Hooper said.
He added, “Yes, it’s disturbing. It seems like there’s a lot of stuff happening right now.”
But Hooper, who retired two years ago, believes the skies are as safe today as they were 15 or 20 years ago.
What about reports that air traffic control centers are understaffed?
“I don’t think they’re understaffed to the point that it’s dangerous in any particular place,” Hooper said.
Hooper isn’t too concerned about the impact that the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, may have on the Federal Aviation Administration.
“I don’t think they can privatize it,” Hooper said. “You can’t privatize everything.”
Bottom line: Hooper would feel comfortable putting his family members on a plane today.
“I wouldn’t be worried,” he said.
