A lack of light

The AOPA Air Safety Institute recently released a report that details some of these risks. The analysis covers all general aviation accidents that occurred at night (dusk to dawn for the study) during the five-year period of 2017 to 2021. What ASI found contains a lot of things most experienced pilots already know, and a few things that will surprise even the most hardened freight dog.

During the period, 7 percent of all GA accidents occurred at night. That low number makes sense given how little GA flying is done after the sun goes down. Exactly how little is not known, so we can’t define the more important accident rate statistic. However, the staff did find that 16 percent of all fatal GA accidents occurred at night, showing just how outsized an influence the lack of light can have on safety.

The top accident cause was predictably attributed to loss of control. This often-frustrating catch-all category doesn’t tell us much because obviously most pilots aren’t in control when they wreck an airplane. Thankfully, the report breaks it down more to tell us stalls and spins were the biggest culprit, although most occurred not during maneuvering flight, but en route or on approach or takeoff.

Interestingly, loss of control accidents on the ground were the fourth most common cause of night-flying accidents, 40 over five years. None of those were fatal, but lots of damaged airplanes is bad for all of us regardless.

Perhaps most surprising was that engine failures were the second most common cause of accidents. In all GA flying these are third on the list, showing the fear about finding a proper emergency landing site at night isn’t entirely ungrounded.

That said, only a fraction of the accidents were fatal. As it said in the report: “Examining fatal accidents only, SCF-PP [system component failure-powerplant] shifts from the second-highest cause of accidents to the seventh highest cause. This shift provides evidence that powerplant failures are largely survivable.” The team found that a pilot’s delay in identifying the problem and taking corrective action was a consistent theme in the reports.

Other than the “unknown” category, by far the most deadly night flying accident is inadvertent flight into instrument conditions. Most pilots know this to be a major risk, but at night it becomes outrageously dangerous. Of 29 accidents attributed to nighttime inadvertent flight into IMC, only five were survivable.

Other surprises included the virtual complete lack of midair collisions. And although it’s true that fewer airplanes in the air means a decreased risk of collision, it’s also true that airplanes are easier to see at night. There was only one accident in five years.

After digesting the data, ASI staff compiled a list of recommendations that directly address the risks of night flying. The list includes commonsense approaches such as increased training beyond currency—especially at night—better training on spatial disorientation, improved stick-and-rudder skills focused on better stall awareness and prevention, more widespread engine monitor use, better fuel-monitoring equipment, more synthetic vision and heads up displays, and better use of flashlights or headlamps in the cockpit. Finally, a tip that we should all immediately follow is to better asses the arrival and departure paths at the airports, the light level, terrain, and more.

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