Are General Aviation Accidents on The Rise?
Recently in the media, there seems to have been a noticeable increase In the number of General Aviation (GA) accidents across the United States. There are many arguments for this, one of which is due to more people traveling personally via aircraft, and not by public transportation, and general aviation being seen most affordable of all the means of traveling by aircraft. In this week’s On Aviation™ digest, we do not seek to analyze the reason or cause of the noticeable increase in GA accidents. We will say this, however, if it is true that the number of flights in general aviation is going up, then it’s merely the result of the probability that the accident numbers may go up as well. We will also say that there may not be any increase at all, but that GA accidents may be more publicized on social media and the news more now than in the past. In this week’s On Aviation™ digest, we will share some data points from official and unofficial sources and allow you the reader to come to your own conclusion on this one.
U.S. General Aviation Safety Data
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), General aviation accidents have been trending downward over the last 10 years. Sliced spike in 2019. While data for 2021 is not fully eating just yet, 2020 shows a downward trend
By: BTS
Aviation Accident Database & Synopses
The NTSB aviation accident database contains information from 1962 and later about civil aviation accidents and selected incidents within the United States, its territories and possessions, and in international waters.
NTSB
General aviation trends in charts—2021 update
Four years ago, I tried to capture the state of general aviation (GA) in 12 charts, covering everything from new airplane shipments to fatal accident rates. At the time, those bar and lines suggested activity was picking up, albeit from a fairly depressed level. An industry as varied as general aviation cannot be summed up in a few charts, but sometimes graphics tell the story better than thousands of words and many readers told me how helpful that article was.
By John Zimmerman | Air Facts
State of General Aviation
General aviation [GA] is all civilian flying except scheduled passenger airline service. An estimated 65% of general aviation flights are conducted for business and public services that need transportation more flexible than the airlines can offer.
By: AOPA
Thank you for reading this week’s digest. Aircraft accidents are a concern not only for the owners and operators of aircraft, but a the general public as well. After reviewing the data for yourself, please take the liberty of sharing your thoughts in the comments below.
Orlando – On Aviation™
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