The pilots in Alaska know a lot about this, especially the aspects of handling moose. Maintenance of the aircraft is essential. While it s difficult, perhaps impossible, to make a statistical correlation between the age of an aircraft and its probability of involvement in an accident, it is only logical that older machines will be more prone to failure. Corrosion, wiring, flight control cables, propellers, engines, and all other parts do not escape the passage of time. When something fails, the risk goes up sometimes a little, sometimes a lot.
Old aircraft require constant mechanical vigilance to manage the risk.
So far, we ve discussed the easiest part of the safety equation the aircraft. Now let s go to a less predictable but measurable aspect, the phase and type of flight. Takeoffs and landings are the highest risk phases for an accident. Unfortunately, we haven t figured out how to go aloft or return without takeoffs and landings, so there will always be exposure. Managing the risk is easy to say but not quite as easy to do.