Train To Mitigate Risk

In the last decade, the general aviation fatal accident rate, which had been decreasing for some time, reached a plateau and has stubbornly resisted industry and FAA efforts to further reduce it. Hovering in the range of 1.20-1.38 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours, this safety record is widely considered a deterrent to general aviation growth and may be one of the reasons student starts have continued to decrease. As a community, we may have oversold the benefits of a new generation of technically advanced aircraft (TAA) to an emerging latent market of individuals who are not traditional enthusiasts and who wish to use these aircraft for safe transportation.

Key Takeaways:

• The general aviation fatal accident rate has plateaued, primarily due to an outdated pilot training doctrine that inadequately emphasizes effective risk management, particularly risk mitigation.
• Existing risk assessment tools (e.g., PAVE) are insufficient as they often result in a "go-no/go" decision without providing clear strategies for pilots to actively mitigate identified risks.
• The author proposes a new training focus on risk *mitigation* using the "TEAM" framework (Transfer, Eliminate, Mitigate, Accept residual risk) to equip pilots with strategies to safely complete flights.
• Modernizing general aviation training requires leadership from the instructor community and courseware providers to integrate comprehensive risk mitigation into curricula, rather than relying solely on the FAA.

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