Aviation Accidents on the Decline Per Air Safety Institute Report

Stall/spin accidents account for the largest number of fatal aviation accidents, according to the latest Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Air Safety Institute report.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, October 10, 2022 at 02:35 PM ET

Verified

The AOPA’s Air Safety Institute’s new Nall Report indicates that aviation accidents declined in 2020. [Courtesy: Bee Calder/Unsplash]

Key Takeaways:

Overall aviation accidents and fatalities significantly decreased in 2020 compared to 2019, with a 10% drop in accidents and a 13% decline in fatalities, according to the Joseph T. Nall report.
Despite the general decline, the report noted specific areas of concern, including a rise in accidents during descent and approach (with stall/spin accidents being the largest cause of fatalities) and an increase in the commercial fixed-wing total accident rate.
Accident rates quantified per 100,000 flight hours also decreased for both overall and fatal incidents, though weather remains a leading contributor to fatal accidents and fatal fuel-related accidents remained steady.

See a mistake? Contact us.

It’s always a good thing when the number of aviation accidents is on the decline. Aviation accidents dropped by about 10 percent between 2019 and 2020, according to the 32nd annual Joseph T. Nall report, produced by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s Air Safety Institute (ASI).

The Nall Report, which is named for former National Transportation Safety Board member Joseph Nall who was killed in an aircraft accident in 1989, covers airplanes with maximum gross takeoff weight of 12,500 pounds or less, as well as helicopters of all sizes. The annual report reviews aircraft accidents that have occurred during the previous year.