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 35th Richard G. McSpadden Report indicates an encouraging decline in general aviation (GA) accident and fatal accident rates in 2023, despite an increase in flight activity.
Common accident causal factors identified include loss of control during landing (though decreasing), an uptick in fuel management issues, and partial engine power loss, which surprisingly has higher lethality than total engine failure.
The report highlights the importance of pilot vigilance in daytime VFR conditions, respecting weather, and consistently practicing emergency maneuvers to reduce accidents.

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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.