Structural failure accidents, often from getting too friendly with thunderstorms, kill both people and what little good press GA is able to garner. In the last decade, 50 accidents-about 10 per cent of all accidents-were due to in-flight structural failure. Worse, even with better weather data in flight, these accidents arent going away.
Structural failure accidents in general aviation are a persistent issue, primarily caused by turbulence (e.g., from thunderstorms, mountain waves, or wake turbulence), which is distinct from and often not indicated by precipitation radar.
The commonly taught maneuvering speed (VA) is an insufficient safety measure for turbulence because gusts cause airspeed fluctuations and control inputs add to loads, potentially exceeding structural limits even below VA.
For safe flight in turbulence, pilots should instead slow to or below the turbulence penetration speed (VB), which is typically 10-20 knots slower than VA (and decreases with lighter aircraft weights), and prioritize riding out the turbulence over maintaining exact altitude.
Structural failure accidents, often from getting too friendly with thunderstorms, kill both people and what little good press GA is able to garner. In the last decade, 50 accidents—about 10 per cent of all accidents—were due to in-flight structural failure. Worse, even with better weather data in flight, these accidents aren’t going away.
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