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FAA, GA Community Hold Safety Summit

Experts talk about ways to cut flying risk.

Representatives from the FAA and general aviation community gathered this week in Washington for a GA Safety Summit aimed at developing strategies to reduce the risks of personal flying for business and pleasure.

The FAA noted that last year 434 people were killed in 251 general aviation accidents, a trend that has remained stubbornly flat for several years despite efforts to cut the fatal accident rate substantially.

“Improving general aviation safety is a top priority for the FAA and industry,” said FAA Deputy Administrator Mike Whitaker. “Too many lives are being lost despite the great work of our GA community.”

Whitaker went on to say he was encouraged by the discussions GA industry leaders had around reducing risk in general aviation.

“We’re working together through the GA Joint Steering Committee to use safety data analysis to take aim at the leading causes of GA accidents,” he said. “Loss of control remains our greatest concern. In fact, it’s on the National Transportation Safety Board’s Most Wanted List.”

Last month, the aviation industry and FAA launched the “Fly Safe” outreach campaign, which features Loss of Control causes, tips, and resources on the FAA’s website. The agency is also encouraging pilots to install angle of attack indicators, approvals for which have been simplified and streamlined to keep costs down.

Whitaker also noted that progress is being made on the FAA’s Part 23 rewrite, which has the goal of improving safety, enabling innovation and streamlining the certification process by adopting more flexible performance-based regulations. Proposed rulemaking is expected by the end of the summer.

“The FAA is working to get the rule out as quickly as possible,” he said. “I look forward to working with industry as we promote safety through education, technology solutions, and improved regulatory standards.”

Get more safety tips by checking out our Tip of the Week section here.

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