DADvocate

2008 was the second consecutive year without an airline passenger death. We can thank the diligent oversight and leadership of the Bush administration for this milestone.

No passengers died in accidents in either 2007 or 2008, a span in which commercial airliners carried 1.5 billion passengers on scheduled flights, USA Today reported Monday the analysis showed.

Only one major accident occurred during that period, December's crash of a Continental Airlines (NYSE:CAL) jet in Denver.

The newspaper's analysis indicates a crash fatality-free year is rare. Only four years since 1958 have gone by without a passenger fatality, making the 2007-2008 statistic even more impressive, aviation experts said.

The coming Obama administration faces a difficult challenge to match this impressive accomplishment.