Editing Aviation (section)

==Aviation accidents and incidents==
{{main|Aviation accidents and incidents}}
[[File:Crash.arp.600pix.jpg|thumb|upright|A [[United States Air Force Thunderbirds|USAF Thunderbird]] pilot [[Ejection seat|ejecting]] from his [[F-16]] aircraft at an [[air show]] in 2003]]

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 such time as all such persons have disembarked, in which a person is fatally or seriously injured, the aircraft sustains damage or structural failure or the aircraft is missing or is completely inaccessible.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=The Investigation Process Research Resource Site|title=International Investigation Standards|url=http://www.iprr.org/manuals/Annex13.html|access-date=May 7, 2012|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427102210/http://www.iprr.org/manuals/Annex13.html|archive-date=April 27, 2012}}</ref> An accident in which the damage to the aircraft is such that it must be written off, or in which the plane is destroyed, is called a ''hull loss accident''.<ref name="AirSafe.com" />

The first fatal aviation accident occurred in a [[Wright Model A]] aircraft at [[Fort Myer|Fort Myer, Virginia, US]], on September 17, 1908, resulting in injury to the pilot, [[Orville Wright]], and death of the passenger, Signal Corps Lieutenant [[Thomas Selfridge]]. The worst aviation accident in history was the [[Tenerife airport disaster]] on March 27, 1977, when 583 people died when two Boeing 747 jumbo jets, operated by Pan Am and KLM collided on a runway in Los Rodeos airport, now known as Tenerife North.

An ''aviation incident'' is defined as an occurrence, other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft that affects or could affect the safety of operations.<ref name="AirSafe.com">{{cite web |website=AirSafe.com |title=Definitions of Key Terms Used by AirSafe.com |url=http://www.airsafe.com/events/define.htm |access-date=May 7, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420172922/http://www.airsafe.com/events/define.htm |archive-date=April 20, 2012 }}</ref>