McSpadden Report Shows Decline in General Aviation Accidents for 2023

AOPA’s Air Safety Institute highlights encouraging safety trends, yet identifies critical areas that still require vigilance.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, November 24, 2025 at 01:45 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The annual Richard G. McSpadden Report’s accident summary for 2023 shows a few improvements and some surprises. [Credit: Creative Commons]

Key Takeaways:

The AOPA Air Safety Institute has released its 35th annual Richard G. McSpadden Report, analyzing general aviation accident causal factors and trends.
The 2023 report shows an encouraging decline in both the overall general aviation accident rate and the fatal accident rate, despite increased flight activity.
Key accident factors identified include loss of control during landing and maneuvering, fuel management issues, and a higher lethality from partial engine power loss.
To enhance safety, pilots are encouraged to maintain vigilance in VFR conditions, respect weather, and regularly practice emergency maneuvers with a flight instructor.

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Attention all flight instructors and aviation safety fans. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s (AOPA) Air Safety Institute has released the 35th Richard G. McSpadden Report—formerly known as the Joseph T. Nall Report.

The report was renamed to honor McSpadden, who was killed in an airplane accident on October 1, 2023. McSpadden devoted a good portion of his career to studying ways to make general aviation safer.