Out Of Control?

The FAA, NTSB and the aviation community have spent a lot of time and effort analyzing how and why pilots lose control of their aircraft, historically the leading cause of fatal general aviation accidents. A recent report by the FAA/industry General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC-see the sidebar on the opposite page), closely looked at the reasons why, highlighting dozens of recommended mitigations to reduce loss-of-control (LOC) accidents. Many of its recommendations have great value.

Key Takeaways:

• Loss of Control (LOC) is the leading cause of fatal general aviation accidents, with current efforts by organizations like the GAJSC often focusing on immediate accident chain links such as equipment or basic skill deficiencies.
• The article contends that the true root cause of most LOC accidents, and others, is poor risk management, which NTSB data frequently omits by focusing on final causes.
• A more effective prevention strategy involves integrating comprehensive risk management knowledge and skills into pilot training, including new certification standards and risk-based flight reviews for existing pilots.
• Individual pilots can actively reduce their LOC risk by maintaining strong basic flying skills, taking risk management courses, conducting continuous risk analysis for every flight, and opting for risk-based flight reviews.

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