10 Most Dangerous Airports In The United States

M. Brandon Smith

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Is your airport a safe one or did it make the Forbes.com 10 most dangerous airports list? The answer just might surprise you depending on your response. The report listed North Las Vegas as the most dangerous airport in the United States followed by Charlotte Douglas International, Long Beach (California), Phoenix Sky Harbor International, Los Angeles International, Boston-Logan International, Newark International, Chicago O'Hare, Philadelphia International, Chicago Midway International, Daytona Beach, and Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International. According to the report, aviation accidents typically occur on take offs and landing with only a handful occurring while in flight.

Most fliers worry about crashing in-flight even though only 74 commercial aircraft have crashed since 2001, despite more than 10 million flights annually. But travelers face far more danger during takeoff or while landing, according to Federal Aviation Administration figures. These figures for 452 airports were analyzed by Forbes.com editors, who examined the size of the facility, the numbers of takeoffs and landings, and the severity of the incidents as categorized by the FAA.

Analysts blame congestion, weather, poor runway design and pilot error. Many say the problem is only getting worse.

Runway mishaps have risen 37% since 1995. Incidents peaked at 401 in 2001, then fell off during the recent aviation recession. But now they are on the rise again. Last year, 330 runway incidents occurred, up from 240 in 1995.

Noticeably absent from the most dangerous airports were some the nation's biggest and busiest facilities: JFK and LaGuardia in New York and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson.