A crash of a cargo jet (eg. converted airliner approx. $40m value) is such a rare event that "bean counters" can justify a certain level of risk. A good compar

A crash of a cargo jet (eg. converted airliner approx. $40m value) is such a rare event that "bean counters" can justify a certain level of risk. A good comparison is SpaceX Falcon[0] or Orbital Sciences Antares launch vehicles. If they have a mishap, there is high probability that it'll take 6mo+ to return to flight. There is a significant cost to that ($300m+ cost to SpaceX, for vehicle replacement and compensation for delays). If UPS crashes a jet due to pilot fatigue[1] and nobody on the ground is hurt, the airline will continue flying with minimal interruption. There have been issues with Fatigue causing accidents at both UPS[1] and FedEx[2]. If a cargo jet crashes but doesn't cause ground fatalities, the general public forgets fast. The UPS Airbus A300 crashed in Birmingham, AL with 'only' two crew fatalities. A passenger A300 would likely have resulted in many more fatalities. Turkish Airlines had a cargo 747 crash[3] in Kyrgyzstan, killing 4 crew and 35 people in the village that it crashed into. This involved a contract operator, and received minimal attention in the world media. In aviation there is a tendency towards "regulate by tombstone"[4] When an El Al 747 crashed shortly after takeoff in Amsterdam and killed 39 in an apartment complex, along with 4 crew, It was a huge story in the European media.[5] 747s were inspected, repaired and upgraded to prevent a recurrence. Cargo airlines do a lot of "back of the clock" or overnight flying, which is considerably risky from a fatigue point of view. I'm actually amazed that more accidents haven't happened. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos-6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos-6 [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPS_Airlines_Flight_1354 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UPS_Airlines_Flight_1354 [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FedEx_Express_Flight_80 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FedEx_Express_Flight_80 [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_Airlines_Flight_6491 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_Airlines_Flight_6491 [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombstone_mentality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombstone_mentality [5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Al_Flight_1862 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Al_Flight_1862 PS. I had a fatigue related car accident in flight school. The "symptoms" can sneak up on a pilot and quickly become an extreme hazard.