Flying in the wintertime can seem like a hassle. Trudging to the airport in the snow and slush in a heavy coat and winter gear while toting luggage is difficult enough. The situation can seem even worse if you arrive at the airport to learn your flight has been canceled.

While canceled flights cause stress, more often than not the right decision is being made. There’s no reason to take a risk in the air in the event of inclement weather. When a commercial airline fails to necessarily cancel a flight or a pilot is unaware of how to properly operate the aircraft in poor weather conditions, the consequences can be devastating and result in serious injuries or death to passengers on the plane. It’s important for pilots, flight crews, airlines, and passengers to be aware of the risk of flying during winter weather, so airplane accidents can be prevented.

Flying is generally the fastest and most efficient form of travel. Statistics also show that it is the safest mode of transportation. Unfortunately, like any other modes of transportation, accidents are possible.

According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2015 there were 32,166 fatal motor vehicle accidents that led to just over 35,000 deaths. Calculated out, that is about 1.13 fatalities per 100 million miles traveled by vehicle. Put another way, 11 people for every 100,000 United States Residents.

On March 4, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared over the Indian Ocean. The flight, which was coming from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was heading to Beijing, China. Following the Boeing 777’s disappearance, a search and rescue and search and recovery occurred. While wreckage has washed up on shores over the years, no bodies were ever found. This international tragedy sparked debate about determining jurisdiction for litigation.

There were 227 passengers and 12 crew members on the plane. While the crew members were all from Malaysia, the passengers came from 14 different countries. On January 28, 2015, all individuals on the flight were presumed dead. As a result in the United States, legal action was taken in California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, New York, South Carolina, and Washington. The proceedings were centralized to Washington, D.C.

More than 100 people are believed to be dead after a plane crashed in Cuba earlier today. Flight DMJ 0972 had at least 104 people on board. It was headed to the eastern Cuban city of Holguin when it fell and crashed into a Santiago de las Vegas neighborhood at 12:08 p.m. Three female passengers were also in critical condition after they survived the crash. The plane ended up crashing into an area of thick vegetation close to the airport runway.

According to CNN, the Cubana de Aviacion Boeing 737-200 crashed on takeoff from Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport. The charter flight “suffered a failure” and crashed about six miles from the airport. The details of this failure are not known at this time.

On Tuesday, April 17, 2018, a Southwest jet made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport after a metal fan blade broke off an engine that caused a passenger to die. The accident ended a string of 8 years without a major U.S. airliner having a fatal accident.

The fatality resulted when the fan blade flew off from the engine, causing engine failure. Engine debris hit the plane from the outside, breaking a passenger’s window. The woman seated near the window was pulled partially out of the plane before she was pulled back in by other passengers. Two medical professionals on board attempted to save her, but the woman did not survive.

The plane, a Boeing 737 bound from New York to Dallas, Texas with 149 people on board, turned toward Philadelphia and made an emergency landing after the engine failed. Several other victims suffered from minor injuries.