Final answer:
Midair collisions and near midair collisions in aviation primarily occur due to errors in situational awareness and communication breakdowns, especially in congested airspace near airports or along airways connecting major cities. These incidents can also happen when airspace regulations are not strictly followed.
Step-by-step explanation:
In aviation, midair collisions and near midair collisions mostly occur due to errors in situational awareness, communication breakdowns, or air traffic control errors. The majority of these incidents happen in congested airspace and during times of high traffic volume, such as near airports or along airways connecting major cities.
For example, during landing and takeoff processes, when aircraft are concentrated around airports, the chances of midair collisions or near midair collisions are increased due to the close proximity of aircraft.
Furthermore, collisions can occur more frequently in scenarios where airspace regulations are not strictly followed, such as unauthorized intrusions into restricted airspace or failure to maintain the required separation distance between aircraft.