A hull loss is an aviation accident that damages the aircraft beyond economical repair,[1] resulting in a total loss. The term also applies to situations where the aircraft is missing, the search for their wreckage is terminated, or the wreckage is logistically inaccessible.[2] The aviation industry uses the metric of "Hull losses per 100,000 flight departures" to measure the relative risk of a given flight or aircraft.[1] There is no official ICAO or NTSB definition. [3]
From 1959 to 2006, 384 of 835 hull losses were non-fatal.[4]
Constructive hull loss takes into account other incidental expenses beyond repair, such as salvage, logistical costs of repairing non-airworthy aircraft within the confines of the incident site, and recertifying the aircraft.
Airlines typically have insurance to cover hull loss. Their policies—like many covering assets that are subject to depreciation—typically pay the insured a formulaic used-item value. A damaged aircraft will often simply be scrapped.
In the initial years of aviation (1900s–1920s) hull losses were common due to limited understanding of aerodynamics and aircraft technology. Pioneering aviators like the Wright Brothers and their contemporaries faced numerous accidents and losses.[5]
World War I and World War II extensively used military aircraft, leading to numerous hull losses in combat.[6] The post-war period witnessed the rapid development of commercial aviation.[7] The introduction of pressurized cabins, jet engines, and improved navigation systems reduced the likelihood of hull losses in commercial aviation.
The emergence of jet aircraft in the 1950s led to faster, more reliable, and safer aircraft.[8] However, the early years of the jet age also saw some high-profile accidents and hull losses, prompting improvements in training and safety regulations.