(App users, to view the interactive data visualization, follow this

).

Methodology:

Data is sourced from the National Transportation Safety Board's Aviation Accident Database.

Between January 1998 through December 2017, NTSB reports a total of 2,257 aircraft crashes, in Alaska.

Of this total, 511 crashes are not included on this map, because the aircraft’s exact latitude and longitude crash coordinates are missing from NTSB’s data.

Check out the interactive map, above, to:

- Examine the crash coordinates of NTSB reported cases, in Alaska.

- Examine where aircraft crashes took place, by year.

- Examine how many people had fatal injuries, serious injuries, minor injuries or no injuries, in each crash.

- And examine common characteristics among aircraft types and purposes for flying.

Story:

According to NTSB aviation data, there were 72 reported aircraft crashes, between Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 of 2017. There were 99 crashes reported in 2016. And there were 79 crashes reported in 2015.

Since 1998, the number of aircraft crashes have been on the decline, in Alaska.

From 1998 through 2007, the average number of aircraft crashes was 130 crashes, per year. While from 2008 through 2017, the average number of crashes was 94, per year.

From 1998 through 2005, annual Alaskan aircraft crash totals were in the three-digits, consecutively. Whereas, from 2013 through 2017, annual aircraft crash totals remained at two-digits.

In calculating a 20 year average, from 1998 to 2017, each year had approximately 112 crashes.