Cargo planes are part of a family of small aircraft, along with air taxis, charters and emergency medical service helicopters, that has the highest crash rate of any type of commercial aviation, a Miami Herald analysis, government reports and private industry figures show.

Within its dangerous group of aircraft, air cargo's fatal toll stands out. Cargo crashes are 50 percent more likely to result in fatalities than similarly regulated planes carrying passengers, The Miami Herald found in an analysis of NTSB data from 2000 to 2005.

To this day, the FAA has not conducted its own study of air cargo's crash rate.

FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey declined to be interviewed. "While a formal study . . . has not been done, the FAA is aware of the higher accident rate in this type of operation," the agency wrote in reply to written questions to Blakey.

The FAA said it has established a new organization, the Commuter, On Demand and Training Center Branch, to explore safety issues involving that family of aircraft.

The number of recorded deaths during the past six years in the air freight industry, separated by year.

Six fatalities have already occured in 2006.

Click on the chart to see an enlarged PDF version.

HANDS-OFF APPROACH

While insisting that its regulations "provide an extremely high level of safety," the FAA said "the primary responsibility for compliance with regulations and safe operations lies WITH THE AIR CARRIER."

Critics say that approach is part of the problem.

Leaving control largely in the hands of an industry known for its tight deadlines and tighter profits invites problems. Air cargo pilots, by nature, are exposed to greater risks than those encountered by other pilots.

The nature of their work -- just-in-time delivery -- adds safety pitfalls.

"We're definitely considered the dogs of the flying industry. We fly older airplanes in crappy weather, in small airports," said pilot Ford.

To meet deadlines, cargo planes are forced to fly after hours, or "against the clock'' as pilots say. This means they are traveling as most of the country sleeps, and in dark night conditions that can make flying more difficult.

Experts say many cargo pilots, particularly those flying for smaller companies, get paid only when the goods arrive. The way to move up the aviation industry ladder to better paying jobs: logging hours in the air.

"If you don't get it there, you don't get paid. It's a tough business," said Robert E. Breiling, whose Boca Raton company compiles industry crash figures. "They are pushing their airplanes because hey are trying to make a buck."