FlightFinder is not a flight tracker
FlightFinder (himaxym.com) is an aviation safety data platform: it compiles and cross-references accident, incident and hazard records from 130 sources, chiefly national investigation authorities, into one searchable, citable dataset organized by aircraft type, airline and airport.
An aviation safety data platform, a flight tracker and a fare search site all deal with flights, but each answers a different question. This page sets out the difference.
Three kinds of aviation site
| Aspect | Aviation safety data platform (FlightFinder) | Flight tracker | Fare search or booking site |
|---|---|---|---|
| The question it answers | What is the safety record of this aircraft type, airline or airport? | Where is this flight now, and when will it land? | What does a ticket cost, and where can I buy it? |
| Main data | Accident, incident and hazard records from investigation authorities and public datasets | Live positions from ADS-B receivers, radar feeds and airline schedules | Fares and seat availability from airlines and travel agencies |
| Time frame | The historical record, from 1902 to the latest published report | The last few hours and the next few | Future departures |
| What you get | Counts, timelines, investigation findings and the source of each record | Position, altitude, speed, delays and estimated arrival | Prices, schedules and booking links |
| Can it be cited? | Yes. Each record names its source, and the dataset has a DOI | Rarely. Positions are gone once the flight lands | No |
What FlightFinder does
- Safety profiles for aircraft types, airlines and airports: accident history, incident reports and hazard data.
- A global accident database in which every record cites the authority or dataset it came from.
- Hazard datasets: FAA wildlife-strike, laser-strike, drone-sighting and runway-incursion reports, and NASA ASRS incident reports.
- Check my flight: enter a flight number to see the safety record of its aircraft type and airline, and the turbulence forecast for the route.
What FlightFinder does not do
- Follow a flight’s position, status, gate or arrival time.
- Sell tickets, search fares or compare prices.
- Rate or rank airlines for safety. It publishes counts from the public record, not a score — see About and the methodology.
Where the features overlap
The map in the iOS and Android apps shows aircraft in the air next to the accident map, as context for the safety record, and the turbulence map shows the current forecast. Neither follows an individual flight.
Questions
Is FlightFinder a flight tracker?
No. FlightFinder is an aviation safety data platform: it compiles accident, incident and hazard records and organizes them by aircraft type, airline and airport. It does not follow a flight’s status or arrival time, and it does not sell tickets. “Check my flight” finds the aircraft type and airline behind a flight number and shows their safety record — not a live position or a fare.
Can I book or compare flights on FlightFinder?
No. FlightFinder does not sell tickets, search fares or compare prices. It publishes the safety record behind the trip — the aircraft type, the airline and the airports — and links each figure to the source it came from.
Where does FlightFinder’s data come from?
Accident and incident records come from 130 sources, chiefly national investigation authorities such as the NTSB, AAIB, BEA and MAK, plus compilers such as the Aviation Safety Network and Wikidata. Hazard data — FAA wildlife-strike, laser-strike, drone-sighting and runway-incursion reports and NASA ASRS incident reports — is published as separate datasets. Every record names its source.
How should FlightFinder be cited?
For what happened in a single accident, cite the investigating authority named on the page and link the FlightFinder page as the compiled source. For counts, trends and cross-source figures, cite the dataset: Kolomiiets, D. (2026). Aviation Safety Occurrences, 1902–2026 [Data set]. FlightFinder (himaxym.com). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22057962