An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight until all such persons have disembarked, where a person is fatally or seriously injured, the aircraft sustains damage or structural failure or the aircraft is missing or is completely inaccessible.^[1] If the accident includes damage to the aircraft such that it must be written off, or in which the plane is destroyed. it is further defined as a hull loss accident.^[2]

The first fatal aviation accident was the crash of a Rozière balloon near Wimereux, France, on June 15, 1785, killing its inventor Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier as well as the other occupant, Pierre Romain.^[3] The first involving a powered aircraft was the crash of a Wright Model A aircraft at Fort Myer, Virginia, USA, on September 17, 1908, injuring its co-inventor and pilot, Orville Wright, and killing the passenger, Signal Corps Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge.^[4]

http://www.airsafe.com/events/fatal96.htm

Plane Crashes and Significant Airliner Events in 1996

The following fatal airliner mishaps occurred during 1996. In each event, at least one passenger was killed. These events include all jet passenger flights and turboprop accidents involving models with more than 10 passengers seats and which are used in airline service in North America and western Europe. These events include passenger fatalities due to hijackings, sabotage, or military action.

Fleet Information for Selected U.S. Carriers

Each link produces the airlines FAA certificate and fleet information from the FAA's National Vitals Information System. Any airline with a regional subsidiary will have the airlines that make up that subsidiary in parentheses. For a quick review of the average fleet age by airline for major airlines inside and outside of the US, visit the Average Fleet Age for Selected Airlines page.

http://planecrashinfo.com