In the last decade, the general aviation fatal accident rate, which had been decreasing for some time, reached a plateau and has stubbornly resisted industry and FAA efforts to further reduce it. Hovering in the range of 1.20-1.38 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours, this safety record is widely considered a deterrent to general aviation growth and may be one of the reasons student starts have continued to decrease. As a community, we may have oversold the benefits of 288
Train To Mitigate Risk
In the last decade, the general aviation fatal accident rate, which had been decreasing for some time, reached a plateau and has stubbornly resisted industry and FAA efforts to further reduce it. Hovering in the range of 1.20-1.38 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours, this safety record is widely considered a deterrent to general aviation growth and may be one of the reasons student starts have continued to decrease. As a community, we may have oversold the benefits of a new generation of technically advanced aircraft (TAA) to an emerging latent market of individuals who are not traditional enthusiasts and who wish to use these aircraft for safe transportation.
Key Takeaways:
- The general aviation fatal accident rate has plateaued, attributed to pilots' ineffective risk management, which deters industry growth and new student pilots.
- Current pilot training doctrine is largely outdated, focusing on maneuvers rather than comprehensive risk management, particularly lacking effective risk *mitigation* strategies.
- Existing risk assessment tools like PAVE/IMSAFE are criticized for leading to unhelpful "go/no-go" decisions rather than teaching pilots how to actively reduce identified risks.
- The article proposes the "TEAM" framework (Transfer, Eliminate, Mitigate, Accept residual risk) to equip pilots with practical risk mitigation techniques, advocating for industry-led reform in training.
Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->
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