Accident Analysis: Does ‘trickier’ mean safer?

An interesting nugget emerged from the analysis that produced the AOPA Air Safety Institute’s 2014 report on accidents during flight instruction: Students taking primary instruction in tailwheel airplanes appeared to have relatively fewer solo accidents than those whose primary training was done in tricycle-gear models. The difference was fairly sharp: Tricycle-gear airplanes sustained more than two accidents on student solos for every one on a dual flight (799 versus 379). In taildraggers, the excess was only 25 percent (70 versus 56).

Of course, there are several ways to interpret this. Does the greater challenge of landing (and even taxiing) a tailwheel airplane lead instructors to set higher standards of proficiency for the solo endorsement? Are the students who choose to learn in models reputed to be trickier characterized by greater aptitude, better discipline, or both? Or are we really seeing more dual rather than fewer solo accidents, perhaps because it’s harder for CFIs to prevent them?

Breaking these accidents down by cause provides a window into those questions. Once airborne, gear configuration shouldn’t matter (though it may be associated with other risk factors such as engine size, fuel tank placement, and lack of shoulder harnesses). The distinctive handling qualities of tailwheels chiefly come into play while operating on, leaving, or returning to the ground. By that argument, the best comparison is the frequency of accidents during takeoffs, landings, and go-arounds—and maybe taxi.

Those results are also a little surprising. Landings made up identical shares of student solo accidents in both configurations (63 percent), but tailwheel students actually had fewer takeoff, landing, and go-around accidents thanks to a sharp reduction in takeoff crashes (6 percent versus 12 percent). During dual instruction, however, taildraggers suffered dramatically higher proportions of both landing accidents (41 percent versus 29 percent in tricycles) and takeoff, landing, and go-around accidents overall (70 percent compared to 47). Taxi accidents were a steady 4 percent of the total regardless of aircraft configuration or instructor presence.

So are tailwheel students better prepared, or is it harder for their instructors to prevent accidents while they’re in the cockpit? The answer appears to be yes.