While the GA community is certainly optimistic at hearing the 25th annual Nall Report’s announcement of a positive improvement in GA’s fatal fixed-wing accident rate, one positive year can’t quite be called an industry trend. Using 2013 data, GA’s fatal rate declined 19 percent, for the first time falling below 1.0, to 0.99 per 100,000 hours of flight time. The overall GA accident rate during the same period dropped 12 percent. Nall data is gathered by the AOPA Air Safety Institute, from Part 91 operated personal and business travel and flight instruction, as well as professionally flown corporate transport aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds.
AOPA Nall Report Shows Decline in GA Fatal Accident Rate
Key Takeaways:
- The 2013 Nall Report indicated a significant 19% decline in the fatal fixed-wing general aviation accident rate, reaching a record low of 0.99 per 100,000 flight hours, with the overall rate dropping by 12%.
- Much of this positive trend was attributed to a substantial reduction in mishaps involving amateur-built airplanes, which narrowed their accident rate gap with certified aircraft.
- In contrast, noncommercial helicopter fatal accidents increased in 2013, resulting in their highest fatal accident rate since 2003, despite a 17% decline in overall noncommercial helicopter accidents.
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