Last year 58 people lost their lives in 30 Swiss plane crashes, 51 of which were killed in Swiss aircraft. According to a study by the aircraft accident investigation bureau, the year 2000 was the second worst year in Swiss aviation history.

The year 2000 now ranks second on the black list for Swiss aviation accidents, with 10 people dying in a Crossair crash near Nassenwil on January 10. Only three days later, on January 13, 2000, 21 people were killed when a private Swiss aeroplane crashed near the Libyan coast.

The other accidents involved smaller aircraft and 12 people were killed in helicopter accidents. Seven people lost their lives in foreign plane crashes which happened in Switzerland.

According to the study 1998 was the worst year in Swiss aviation history when 250 people lost their lives in 53 accidents, 229 of which were killed in the crash of a Swissair aeroplane in Halifax, Canada.

However, the study also suggests that in spite of being the second worst year for deaths in aviation accidents, the year 2000 was also the year with the fewest incidents in the 22-year-old history of Swiss aviation statistics.

The years with the fewest aviation casualties were the years 1984 and 1993. In 1984, 15 people were killed in 98 accidents, whereas 16 people lost their lives in 86 accidents in 1993.

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