An updated report from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute shows that fatal flight training accidents were cut in half between 2000 and 2019.
The Fatal Flight Training Accident Report 2000-2019, a collaboration between the Air Safety Institute and the Liberty University School of Aeronautics, found that loss of control accounts for 54% of all fatal instructional accidents, with the vast majority being stall/spin related.
“The good news is that flight training is getting safer,” said Andrew Walton, Liberty University director of safety. “Sustained efforts by the FAA, NTSB, manufacturers, and the flight training community have resulted in a fatal accident rate that is now roughly half of what it was at the start of the century.”
“From 2000 to 2004, the fatal accident rate averaged 0.49 per 100,000 hours and decreased to 0.26 in the last five years of the study,” he said. “However, there remains plenty of work to do, particularly in mitigating the risk of loss of control in flight.”
Fatal Flying
During the 20 years of the study, there were 287 fatal flight training accidents, according to the report.
The study looked at both dual and solo operations that were categorized by the NTSB as instructional in fixed-wing, piston singles, and light twins with reciprocating engines under 500 horsepower per engine.
It did not look at accidents in airplanes that were amateur-built, light-sport, twin-engine with more than six seats, and single-engine with more than 500 horsepower.
The study found that from 2000 to 2004, the fatal accident rate averaged 0.49 per hundred thousand hours. From 2005 to 2009 that rate dropped to 0.41. From 2010 to 2014, it averaged 0.39 and ended at 0.26 from 2015 to 2019.
Loss of control in flight was the leading cause of fatal instructional accidents, followed by midair collisions, and controlled flight into terrain.
Loss of Control in Flight
Loss of Control in Flight (LOC-I) is the number one risk during flight training, accounting for 155 fatal accidents, according to the report. Of these, 89 accidents occurred in the 2000s and 66 in the 2010s.
Loss of control events were primarily stall/spin accidents, or Vmc rolls (loss of control in a twin-engine airplane with asymmetric power at low speeds).
The phase of flight with the most frequent fatal loss of control accidents is takeoff/climb/go-around, accounting for 48 of the 155 accidents (31%), or an average of 2.4 fatal instructional training accidents every single year.
“Concerns have grown over the high number of stall/spin accidents during the high-power, high-AOA phase of flight, which increased from 23 accidents in the 2000s to 25 accidents during the 2010s. While these accidents include a variety of potential contributing factors, the commonality is a failure to properly manage angle of attack during takeoff, climb-out, and go-around events,” the report notes.
Maneuvering, the second largest phase within loss of control, accounted for 45 fatal accidents. The decrease in maneuvering fatalities from the 2000s to the 2010s was the largest driver of improvement within the LOC-I accident rate as a whole, according to the report.
“This may support the FAA’s decision to improve stall horn awareness by changing the slow flight maneuver in the airman certification standards (ACS),” the report states.
Emergency procedures formed the third phase and include both simulated emergencies and actual emergencies. This category increased from 10 fatal accidents in the 2000s to 16 in the 2010s.
Midair Collision
Midair collision was the second leading cause of fatal flight training accidents from 2000 to 2019, with 27 flights involved in 23 midair collisions.
According to the report, 70% (19 flights) occurred outside the airport environment, compared to traditional GA where 51% occur outside the airport environment.
Of the fatal accidents that occurred in the airport environment, five occurred in Class D airspace and three were at non-towered airports.
Midair collision was the category with the most dramatic difference between the two decades studied, accounting for 21 fatal accidents from 2000 to 2009, but only six from 2010 to 2019, according to the report.
One factor that could explain this drop is the increased use of traffic awareness technologies, including TIS and ADS-B, the report states.
Controlled Flight Into Terrain
Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) was the third leading cause of fatal instructional accidents.
There was a slight decrease in the number of CFIT accidents from 11 in the 2000s to eight in the 2010s.
Reduced visibility continues to play a role in most CFIT accidents, with 13 of the 19 accidents occurring in night and/or IMC conditions.
CFIT accidents largely occurred during maneuvering (9), followed by en route (4) and approach (4).
Two CFIT accidents occurred on missed approaches, highlighting the need to properly execute these sections of approaches, the report notes.
Of the CFIT accidents in visual conditions, the most common subcategories were loss of terrain awareness at night (4), practicing simulated engine outs during the day (3), and possible spatial disorientation (2).
Deciphering The Decline
The report notes that the decline in fatal flight training accidents can be attributed to a number of factors, including:
- Technological updates, such as angle of attack indicators, flight envelope protection, traffic displays, moving map displays, and terrain overlays.
- Newer aircraft with modern avionics and crash restraints, including shoulder harnesses and airbags.
- Substantial changes in stall recovery training at the airline transport pilot (ATP) level that took effect in 2012, which emphasize the importance of reducing the angle of attack (AOA) as the first and primary step in stall recovery. This emphasis has impacted all levels of flight training, the report notes.
- Standardization in the training environment.
- The FAA’s updates to the Airman Certification Standards, which require applicants to demonstrate risk management and aeronautical decision-making skills.
Room for Improvement
While safety has improved “substantially” over the last 20 years, the report notes that there is still room for improvement.
With loss of control making up the largest accident category and most of those accidents being stall/spin related, it is “imperative that flight instructors teach stall/spin awareness correctly,” the report states.
Specialized training in upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) is also encouraged.
The study also notes that a majority of instructional midair collisions occurred at VFR/IFR cruise altitudes, even though pilots can maneuver at any altitude when below 3,000 feet AGL.
“It seems that instructors select a target altitude such as 2,500 feet MSL or 3,000 feet MSL, where an analog altimeter needle would point straight up or straight down. A simple training mitigation may be to select a less congested altitude such as 2,700 feet MSL, which deconflicts from IFR and VFR cruising flights.”
Pilots also should be encouraged to use all available tools to enhance traffic awareness, including ADS-B in and ATC flight following service, the safety experts recommend.
The final recommendation takes flight training back to the basics: “Instructors should continue to emphasize the fundamentals of see and avoid.”
You can read the full report at AOPA.org.
