Experimental Aircraft Fatals, New Advisory Circulars, and Avgas 2.0

Fatal accidents involving experimental, amateur-built aircraft (EABs) during the 2015 federal fiscal year-October 2014 through September 2015-fell 20 percent from the previous 12-month period. The FAA has published for public comment draft revisions to two ACs, as well as a handful of others useful to GA and other operators. The FAAs efforts to approve a new, unleaded aviation gasoline are continuing, with an ongoing series of lab tests being conducted at the agencys Atlantic City, N.J., research facility.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Fatal accidents involving experimental, amateur-built aircraft (EABs) dropped significantly by 20% in late 2015, indicating an improvement in safety.
The FAA is updating key Advisory Circulars (ACs) related to aviation weather and flight information services (FIS) to include modern concepts and digital displays.
The FAA's search for an unleaded aviation gasoline (Avgas 2.0) is progressing, with Phase 1 testing concluding and two candidate fuels to be selected for Phase 2 real-world testing starting in early 2016.

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According to EAA, homebuilt aircraft safety improved in late 2015, with the number of fatal accidents dropping significantly over a 12-month period covering much of 2015. Fatal accidents involving experimental, amateur-built aircraft (EABs) during the 2015 federal fiscal year—October 2014 through September 2015—fell 20 percent from the previous 12-month period the association said. The specific totals indicate 40 fatal accidents in those aircraft during the period, compared to 51 during the prior year.

“This is excellent news to see this type of reduction in fatal accident numbers, which are already smaller than other types of popular recreational pursuits, such as paddle sports, horseback riding, and driving all-terrain vehicles,” said Sean Elliott, EAA’s vice president of advocacy and safety.