SPLOG By DAN JOHNSON
While I prefer to blog about new aircraft, LSA safety is a worthy topic. Here’s the quick summary: While every loss is tragic to family and friends, LSA fatalities are not bad.
Now some detail: According to FAA records in the four-year period from August 2005 to June 2009, Special LSAS experienced 12 fatal accidents resulting in the loss of 18 lives. In 10 of the 12 accidents a licensed pilot was in control (that is, not a Sport Pilot). Altogether, 10 manufacturers were affected. Only one, variations of the CH-601 produced by three companies, had multiple accidents and that veteran design is now the subject of a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (read our story here).
In 2007, a year of high sales and activity, the industry experienced five crashes and eight fatalities. All other years had half that or less.
What does FAA think of all this? Let’s go to the top. As reported by Flight International, new FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt spoke at Oshkosh 2009 saying that the LSA accident rate is “…very compatible with what’s going on in the rest of the general aviation world. The statistics reflect it. So [the manufacturers] are doing what they said they would do and the numbers reflect it.”
Safety is an ongoing effort. One should never become complacent. But industry players have increased the amount and quality of transition training such that incident rates appear to be improving, according to leading aviation insurers.
For more on Sport Pilot: ByDanJohnson.com
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