Retrofitting Restraint

While none of us plan to crash our airplanes, stuff happens. The NTSBs database is replete with accident reports involving events like engine failures and ensuing off-airport landings where the engine started and ran fine after the investigators arrived. In many of them, plenty of fuel was aboard and carburetor ice was ruled out. Most of those reports go on to state the engine failed for unknown reasons. We cant choose when well have to set one down but-by avoiding hostile terrain like mountains and oceans, or flying only in daytime VFR-we can choose many of the conditions well experience. We also have the ability to maximize the likelihood of a favorable outcome.

Key Takeaways:

• Many general aviation accidents, particularly those deemed survivable, result in fatalities or serious injuries from occupants impacting the aircraft interior, not from the crash forces themselves.
• Older aircraft often lack modern crashworthiness features and typically come equipped only with lap belts, increasing the risk of injury during an accident.
• The installation and proper use of shoulder harnesses, in addition to lap belts, are critical for occupant safety, drastically reducing major injuries by 88% and fatalities by 20% by restraining the upper torso.
• The FAA encourages and has simplified the process for retrofitting shoulder harnesses into older aircraft through factory kits, STCs, and policy statements, making it a readily achievable and important safety upgrade.

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