Ive watch every mayday episode and tons of crashes are caused by like a simple screw being put back wrong after maintenance, how the hell do all these planes get good enough inspections done even fly several hours without failing and falling out of the sky?
In: 8
Due to the inventions of the Black Box Flight Recorder and the Cockpit Voice Recorder.
Planes used to crash a lot. Lots of people died (even Qantas used to have fatal crashes). So the two above mentioned devices were invented and eventually fitted to commercial aircraft.
The black box flight recorder records various bits of information about the the plane. How much power to the engines, what position are the flaps in. Etc, etc, etc, etc. The Cockpit Voice Recorder records conversations in the cockpit.
This means that when commercial planes crash and these two devices are located a lot of data can be examined regarding the crash and the time before it.
On top of this if possible the plane is recovered and if needed rebuilt as much as possible. Everything is gone over as much as possible for things that the recorders can’t record. Investigators can tell the difference between did a piece break due to impact or did it wear out over time. They can go through maintenance logs, etc.
All of this means that not only have planes been redesigned but flight practices have evolved (such as banning anything but immediate flight talk below certain altitudes) as have maintenance practices. After a crash airlines and aircraft manufacturers may be required to modify not only planes that are being built but also ones in service.
It is now rare that a single piece of a commercial airliner failing resulting in a crash. Almost all commercial airliner crashes are pilot error.
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