Safety Spotlight: Do your part
Accident-free flying is everyone’s responsibility
The General Aviation Accident Scorecard is a measure of the number of GA accidents in broad categories to provide a high-level view of overall safety performance. Each year the General Aviation Accident Scorecard provides an initial look at the most recent year (in this case 2017), and a complete review of the previous year (2016 for this edition). Then the Nall Report follows up with detailed categorization of the accidents (2015 for this edition).
Each of the reports offers good news for GA safety and indicates positive momentum for continued reduction in the fatal accident rate. Each year reveals that we are flying more and experiencing fewer fatalities. The reports also expose that there is progress to be made.
We recently looked back at the Nall Report’s inaugural edition, and it’s interesting to compare to today’s. In 1991, the Nall Report comprised 12 pages of accident analysis based on preliminary NTSB findings. The booklet included several graphs illustrating 1990 statistics compared to the previous year and the 1982-1988 accident database average—an effort to provide insight into long-term trends. It also called for collecting data to study accident profiles, help accident prevention, and lead the way to new training programs and improved aircraft designs. Interestingly, the 1991 edition noted that 1990 was the safest year on record, reporting a drop in the total accident rate to 7.01 per 100,000 hours flown—“the lowest ever recorded.” But the fatal accident rate for all general aviation remained steady, at 1.39 per 100,000 hours flown.
To put these numbers in context, we need to look back even further: In 1950, the total accident rate was 46.68 accidents per 100,000 flight hours; the fatal accident rate was 5.17 per 100,000 hours flown. Today, the 2016 accident and fatal accident rates per the Scorecard have plunged to an estimated 4.92 and 0.80 per 100,000 hours, respectively. We’ve come a long way in aviation safety.
Imagine a year without a single fatal accident in GA. We aren’t there yet, but we’re getting closer every year. There is so much more work to be done. We need to shake the persistent, stubborn recurrence of pilot-related accidents, accounting for approximately 74 percent of all accidents and all fatal accidents—a trend that continues year to year. These accidents are often caused by lack of proficiency and poor decision making, and they typically lead to controlled flight into terrain, loss of control, or continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions.
Incredibly, we still experience about a dozen fatal accidents a year because of poor fuel planning or fuel mismanagement. We need to do more to improve these undesirable statistics and accelerate our effort to reach those who do not routinely access safety and training material. Statistics show it makes a difference. ASI will continue to provide critical education in these areas and utilize modern channels to meet pilots where, when, and how they consume information.
The General Aviation Accident Scorecard reveals we experienced 185 fatal accidents in 2017, resulting in 304 fatalities, a 6-percent drop from 2016. While the overall fatal accident trend continues downward, any fatality is one too many. We must not lose sight of the fact that every fraction of a point drop in our fatal accident rate equals lives saved.
The industry has done a superb job of coming together to achieve positive, measurable safety advances. Together we—pilots, associations, private industry, and government—have improved the GA safety culture and raised the bar on safety. We must guard against complacency and continue to set aspirational targets, or we will undo the progress we’ve worked so hard to achieve. Together we can find new ways to improve knowledge, training, proficiency, equipment, and enhance our flying culture. Together we’ll save lives and continue to improve GA’s reputation as safe, fun recreation and transportation.
Let’s continue to challenge ourselves and make fatal accidents a thing of the past. Go fly, and do your part to increase safe flying activity.
Email [email protected]
