The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release a study next week on 138 accidents involving GA aircraft equipped with air bags integrated into shoulder harnesses. Some 7,000 aircraft are so equipped out of the entire GA fleet of more than 200,000 aircraft. AmSafe, the sole manufacturer of aircraft air-bag shoulder harnesses, claims it has documented 20 cases in which air bags saved lives and/or significantly reduced injuries in aircraft accidents. Air bags have been required in new cars for close to two decades. Shoulder harness requirements go back even further. But aircraft built before shoulder harnesses were widely adopted are not required to have them installed. I wrote about my own experience installing shoulder harnesses in my 1954 Bonanza in this May 2007 ‘I Learned About Flying From That’ in Flying. (see attached)
Report on Air Bags Due Out Next Week
Key Takeaways:
- The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is preparing to release a study on 138 general aviation (GA) accidents involving aircraft equipped with air bags integrated into shoulder harnesses.
- These air bags are present in a small fraction of the GA fleet (7,000 out of over 200,000 aircraft), but the sole manufacturer claims 20 documented cases of lives saved or injuries significantly reduced.
- Unlike new cars where air bags and shoulder harnesses are standard, older GA aircraft are not required to have shoulder harnesses installed, despite their proven safety benefits.
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