New data from the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) show that fatal accidents involving experimental aircraft—homebuilts and others—were up sharply during the federal fiscal year ending September 30, to 56. In FY2021, the number of fatals was 42. The new numbers come from the FAA’s ongoing data tracking.
“The fatal accident totals, for both amateur-builts and experimental aircraft overall, remain 30 to 35 percent below where they were just a decade ago, including when looking at the three-year rolling average on which the FAA bases its annual not-to-exceed number,” said Sean Elliott, EAA’s vice president of advocacy and safety. “While that’s good news, we never want to see an annual increase in the totals. That’s a reminder that we all must continue to work to make safety the top priority even with the small numbers we see each year.”
