FATAL plane crashes of all types fell slightly last year in the US with no major airline accidents recorded, the National Transportation Safety Board has announced. Preliminary figures show total fatalities dropped to 635 in 2004 compared with 695 in 2003.
There were 1,715 accidents compared with 1,864 over the same period.
Most fatalities occurred in crashes of general aviation aircraft.
An overwhelming majority of accidents are not fatal.
There were 21 accidents involving scheduled airline service, one of them fatal.
A Jetstream 32 twin-engine plane operated by Corporate Airlines, doing business as American Connection, crashed in Missouri, killing 13 people.
There were more than 10.5m departures by scheduled airlines and their affiliates last year.
http://www.ntsb.gov