Over 900 Americans Have Died in Helicopter Crashes Since 1999

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What to know

The death of former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant has put a public spotlight on air transportation safety.
The National Vital Statistics System logo shows the outlines of 3 people above an EKG line.

Summary

A data story from the National Center for Health Statistics

Author: NCHS

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The death of former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant has put a public spotlight on air transportation safety. Vital Statistics obtained from the public online WONDER database show that 940 Americans were killed in helicopter crashes between 1999 and 2017, with the death toll ranging from a high mark of 79 deaths in 2003 to a low mark of 26 deaths in 2015, the year before Bryant retired from professional basketball.

SOURCE: National Vital Statistics System, ICD-10 code V95.0, http://wonder.cdc.gov