Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi joins a long list of notable people who have lost their lives in chopper crashes.
While Iran mourns the loss of President Ebrahim Raisi and three top officials who died on Sunday when their helicopter crashed in a mountainous region of the border with Azerbaijan, concerns about helicopter safety have come into the spotlight once again.
Raisi joins a long list of world leaders and celebrities who have lost their lives in helicopter crashes. It’s a grim tally that includes NBA legend Kobe Bryant, Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and, more recently, Sebastian Piñera, the former president of Chile.
Iranian officials have blamed U.S. sanctions for contributing to Raisi’s death, alleging that the sanctions have severely impacted Iran’s aviation maintenance and safety standards. But the data shows that flying in a helicopter is among the most dangerous ways to travel by air.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), helicopters crash at a higher rate than any type of airplane. The crash rate for helicopters is 9.84 per 100,000 hours, indicating a 35% higher risk of an accident compared to airplanes.
