Preliminary figures released by the National Transportation Safety Board this week show aviation deaths decreased from 574 in 2008 to 538 in 2009. Nearly 90% of aviation fatalities occurred in general aviation accidents (471), but they still represented a decrease from the previous year (494).
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Janice Wood is editor of General Aviation News.
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Does this report from the NTSB come as a surprise to anyone? It shouldn’t. What those at the NTSB have pointed out, is nothing more than “common sense” to most of us! The accident rate is tied to “hours flown”(recency of experience and proficiency). In 2008 there were significant less hours flown than any previous years since statistics were kept. The economy was in the “dumper” and so was “hours flown”. No surprise here! General aviation has always had more accidents than commercial aviation (a lot more pilots in this category…54% more…and considerably lesser trained). Military aviation has always had significantly fewer accidents than has commercial aviation. No surprise there either. The “formula” is a simple one that has been known by those of us who have been a part of aviation for half a century. The accident rate is tied to hours held (aviator experience) by the individual and the “advanced” training received by that individual! That’s why corporate and commercial aviation have far higher “flight hour” standards than does a job in General Aviation.
As an Instructor pilot, both civil and military and a former Commercial Pilot (airline), I’ve seen all aspects of aviation training and the military trains pilots far in excess of what the civilian sector does (clear to the “edge of the envelope”). Likewise, commercial aviation trains pilots to a much greater depth than does general aviation (flying by the numbers). It’s no mystery that low-time pilots generate far more accidents/incidents than does a highly trained workforce in corporate and commercial aviation. During times of “economic duress”, far less time (hours flown) is the “norm”, thus the accident rate goes up. End of story! (this isn’t rocket science)