Are Non-Towered Airports Safe? The Data Says Yes

Guest Editorial By Mariah Aguilar, West Houston Airport

For many pilots, non-towered airports represent the heart of general aviation. They are where flight training begins, weekend adventures take flight, and local aviation communities thrive. While some people assume that the absence of an air traffic control tower makes these airports less safe, the available data tells a much more nuanced story.

In response to the increasing narrative that non-towered airports are inherently less safe than towered airports, I conducted an analysis of NTSB data. Rather than relying on opinions or anecdotal evidence, I wanted to examine the available data to provide a data-driven perspective instead of simply repeating a commonly held assumption.

To do that, I used the NTSB Aviation Investigation Search Database to identify reported midair collisions occurring at both towered and non-towered airports between 2016 and 2026. That analysis identified just 27 collisions where the airport type could be positively determined. Of those, 14 occurred at towered airports and 13 occurred at non-towered airports.

At first glance, those numbers may seem surprising. However, they become even more meaningful when viewed in the context of the thousands of airports that make up the nation’s aviation system.

The United States has approximately 527 towered airports compared with nearly 20,000 non-towered landing facilities, including public airports, private airstrips, grass and turf runways, gravel strips, and seaplane bases. When the collision data is normalized by the number of airport facilities, towered airports experienced approximately 2.66 midair collisions per 100 airports during the study period, while non-towered airports experienced only 0.065 collisions per 100 airports.

On a per-airport basis, that equates to approximately 41 times more recorded midair collisions at towered airports.

These findings should not be interpreted to mean that towered airports are unsafe. In reality, towered airports generally accommodate far greater traffic volumes, more complex aircraft operations, and a wider variety of aircraft. The analysis measures collisions relative to the number of airport facilities — not the number of aircraft operations.

The real lesson is that non-towered airports continue to demonstrate an excellent safety record despite relying on pilot coordination rather than air traffic control.

Safe operations at these airports depend on disciplined communication, standardized traffic patterns, vigilant visual scanning, and strict adherence to recommended procedures. Every pilot plays an active role in maintaining safety.

Organizations such as the FAA and aviation associations have long emphasized that non-towered airports operate safely because pilots share responsibility for sequencing themselves, announcing their intentions on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF), and maintaining constant situational awareness. When every pilot follows these established best practices, non-towered airports remain among the safest places to fly.

Whether arriving at a quiet country airstrip or departing a busy metropolitan airport, the fundamentals never change: Fly a predictable pattern, make clear radio calls, keep your eyes outside the cockpit, and remain alert for other traffic.

Safety at non-towered airports isn’t created by a control tower — it is created by informed pilots working together. The data reinforces what many aviators already know: When pilots communicate effectively and follow established procedures, non-towered airports continue to provide a remarkably safe environment for general aviation.