Airbus A320 crashed in Southern France

[Gauges and Dials]

On risk, mentally ill pilots, and air transport safety

When reasoning about risk mitigation, it's important to keep in mind a few numbers:

1. How significant is the risk (likelihood of occurrence times how bad it is when it occurs)
2. How effective is any given mitigation strategy at reducing the risk?
3. How much does the mitigation strategy cost? Not only in raw dollars, but also in terms of other risks it introduces?

I would like to see a comparison of the number of commercial passengers killed, over the past 10 years, say, by suicidal/homicidal pilots versus the number killed over the same time period by, say, falling down the stairs and breaking their necks while boarding at non-jetway airports, or by being struck by vehicles in the passenger pick-up / drop-off area, or from allergic reactions to some food consumed on board aircraft.

it's entirely possible that, compared to other risks facing the travelling public, deadly action by insane cockpit crew is not actually very high on the list of things to worry about, and may not warrant complex or costly solutions that in turn introduce other risks.