Today I want to take you on a personal journey, a story of how I turned my curiosity into a project that changed the way I see the world, as part of my journey in data science learning, guided by hands-on exploration and analysis. It all started with a spark, a moment that hit me hard, and it’s been an emotional rollercoaster ever since. Let me share it with you.
The Spark That Started It All
On June 12, 2025, a news story hit me hard when I heard about the Ahmedabad Air India Express Dreamliner crash. The news broke my heart—lives lost, families shattered, and suddenly, the skies didn’t feel so safe anymore. I usually use the flight from Kochi to Bangalore to visit my birthplace with my kids, and we’ve been using it since they were even infants, just 3 months old, and as part of a business family, my husband and my immediate family members frequently use international flights for business purposes so this hit close to home. Social media exploded with the hashtag #IfBoeingIWillNotGo, and I could feel the fear in every post. People were scared to fly on Boeing planes, and I wondered: is this fear real? Is Boeing really less safe than Airbus? That question stuck with me, nagging at my mind like a puzzle waiting to be solved. I knew I had to dig deeper. So, I decided to turn it into a project, guided by my data science journey.
Diving Into the Data
I started with a huge dataset called 'Airplane_Crashes_and_Fatalities_Since_1908.csv' from Kaggle. It had over 5,200 rows of data—dates, locations, aircraft types, and heartbreaking fatality counts stretching back to 1908. At first, I felt overwhelmed, but I focused on what mattered: Boeing and Airbus. I updated the data with 2024 and 2025 records, including that Ahmedabad crash, and cleaned it up to only include the planes I wanted to study. With tools like Python, pandas, and matplotlib, I began to see patterns emerge, like a story unfolding on my screen.
The Emotional Highs and Lows
As I plotted crash records, I saw Boeing had more crashes globally—379 compared to Airbus’s 312. In India, it was 14 versus 12. Those numbers hit me hard; each one represented a tragedy. But then I realized Boeing has been around longer and has a much bigger fleet—about 25,000 planes versus Airbus’s 12,000. It wasn’t just about the crashes; it was about the context. I felt a mix of sadness and relief as I learned that the raw numbers didn’t tell the whole story.
Next, I looked at trends over time. The graphs showed peaks in the 1970s and 80s when air travel was booming, with Boeing’s line spiking higher due to its long history. But then, both companies’ crash rates dropped thanks to better technology and safety rules. Seeing the Ahmedabad crash as a lonely spike in India’s data made me pause—it was a reminder of how rare but impactful these events are. I felt a lump in my throat, thinking of the families affected, but also a spark of hope knowing safety has improved.
Finding the Truth
The severity analysis was tough. Pie charts showed Boeing had a bigger share of global fatalities, but boxplots revealed the median fatality rates were similar. Airbus had fewer fatal crashes recently, which gave me a moment of comfort. Then, I dug into specific models. Older Boeing planes like the 727 and 737 Classics had more incidents, while newer ones like the 787 showed progress. Airbus models seemed steady across generations, which made me admire their consistency.
What really opened my eyes was looking at fleet and flight volumes. Boeing flies more planes and routes, especially internationally in India, while Airbus dominates domestic flights. When I normalized the data—adjusting for fleet size and flights—the crash rates per million flights were almost the same: 1.94 for Boeing and 1.85 for Airbus globally. In India, it was 26.67 versus 30.00, still neck-and-neck. That moment felt like a breakthrough. The fear I’d felt, echoed by #IfBoeingIWillNotGo, didn’t match the numbers. It was a mix of excitement and peace knowing the truth.
The Conclusion That Changed Me
Finishing this project, I felt a sense of pride. The Ahmedabad crash had sparked a public belief that Boeing was unsafe, but my data showed otherwise. Both Boeing and Airbus operate with similar safety levels when you look at the full picture. This journey taught me that data can turn fear into knowledge. It’s not just about numbers—it’s about telling a story that helps people trust again.
So, here I am, sharing my story with you. This wasn’t just a project; it was a personal mission to uncover the truth. If you’re curious about your own data journey, let’s connect. I’d love to help you find your story too. Until next time, keep exploring and learning!