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Safety Publications/Articles

2011 Preliminary Summary of GA Accidents

ASI has postponed publication of the latest Nall Report until the National Transportation Safety Board completes its investigations of more of 2010's fatal accidents. The full report will be available later this year. In the meantime, a concise statistical report summarizes the GA safety record during 2010, 10-year trends in accident numbers and rates, and preliminary figures on accidents during 2011. It shows that non-commercial flights in both airplanes and helicopters suffered fewer accidents than in 2009 despite increased flight activity; the accident rate for helicopters actually dropped below the fixed-wing rate for the first time. Accidents on commercial helicopter and fixed-wing flights occurred at rates almost identical to the year before, low by historic standards.

Click here to download the report (PDF file).

2010 Joseph T. Nall Report

Non-commercial fixed-wing flight activity decreased 10% from 2008 to 2009, while the number of accidents only dropped 5%, from 1,241 to 1,181. The number of fatal accidents and the number of individual fatalities actually increased slightly to 233 and 401, respectively, so both the total and fatal accident rates on non-commercial fixed-wing flights were up in 2009. Improvements in some perennial problem areas like fuel management and weather were offset by an increased number of accidents caused by mechanical failures. Non-commercial helicopter flights were the only sector that did not see a significant reduction in flight time; they suffered 13 more accidents than in 2008, but five fewer were fatal. Commercial operators, both fixed-wing and rotorcraft, had an excellent year, with a historic low of only six fatal accidents combined. Click here to download the entire report (PDF file — 3MB).

Nall Report Archive

Count me in to help you out!

The AOPA Air Safety Institute is happy to make these publications available to you at no cost, but we need your help! We rely on tax-deductible contributions to fund our pilot education programs. Your contribution today, whether it's $25, $50, $100, or whatever you can send, will help us educate and train pilots. Help the Air Safety Institute to make a difference in improving general aviation safety.

Updated February 18, 2010

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