By: Iman Thibodeaux, Feature Editor
Photo by Gerrie van der Walt on Unsplash

Travel concerns are on the rise due to a string of air crashes since the start of the new year. 

A recent medical helicopter crash in Madison County, Mississippi, is among 175 aviation incidents reported since Jan. 10 by the National Transportation Safety Board. Out of these 175, more than 14 of the aircraft accidents have been fatal. 

On Monday, March 10 around 12:30 p.m., three healthcare professionals were killed while en route to Columbus, Mississippi, after transporting a patient. According to WJTV, Heath Hall, a spokesman for the Madison County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the helicopter crashed in a heavily wooded area south of the Natchez Trace Parkway and north of Pipeline Road. The victims of the crash have not yet been identified. The cause of the crash is unclear, which has been the case in many recent incidents.

Prior to this crash, a Delta jet caught fire after flipping upside down during landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Feb. 17. Fortunately, no one was killed in the crash. Injuries and conditions ranged from back sprains and head injuries to nausea and vomiting. 21 passengers were taken to local hospitals, but none of the injuries were life-threatening. 

Thus far, there have been three major U.S. accidents in 2025 according to the New York Times, with the first occurring on Jan. 29. An American Airlines plane approaching Washington’s Reagan National Airport collided with a U.S. Army helicopter on a training mission. Both aircraft were engulfed in flames and debris crashed into the Potomac River. There were 67 people involved—64 on the Bombardier CRJ700 and three on the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter —and there were no survivors.

On Jan. 31, a small medical plane fell from the sky, crashing in northeast Philadelphia shortly after taking off. All six people on board were killed as well as one person on the ground. Footage of the crash on social media showed bystanders riddled with fear and dismay as homes and vehicles disappeared under a blanket of flames.

On Feb. 6, a commuter plane carrying 10 passengers vanished on a flight to Nome, Alaska, setting off a massive search operation. Within 24 hours, rescuers spotted the wreckage and two rescue swimmers were dispatched to investigate. Debris from the plane was scattered in sea ice and all 10 people were killed.

The crash on Jan. 29 was the deadliest air crash in the United States in the past 20 years. The Feb. 6 crash was one of the deadliest in the state of Alaska in the last 25 years. 

In response to the fatal crashes, the Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees. According to an AP article, “Impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance.”

A Transportation Department official told AP that the agency has “retained employees who perform critical safety functions.”

Our condolences are with the family members of those involved in these tragic crashes.