Why Are Flight Students Taught About the NTSB in Ground School?

By deconstructing previous accidents, pilots can learn from the mistakes of others and develop the skill to mitigate risk.

Wednesday, August 21, 2024 at 09:00 AM ET

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Pilot candidates learn about the role of the NTSB because it's important to know what constitutes an accident or an incident, and when the agency needs to be notified. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Private pilot ground schools teach about the NTSB and accident criteria (Part 830) so pilots understand notification requirements for accidents and incidents.
Discussing past accidents helps pilots recognize unmanaged risks and develop strategies to mitigate them in their own flights.
By deconstructing previous mistakes, pilots learn valuable risk management skills to make better decisions and achieve safer outcomes.

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Question: Why do private pilot ground schools include instruction about accidents and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)? I thought the point was not to crash?

Answer: Pilot candidates learn about the role of the NTSB because it’s important to know what constitutes an accident or an incident, and when the agency needs to be notified. The criteria for both is listed under Part 830 in the (Federal Aviation Regulations/ Aeronautical Information Manual FAR/AIM).

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.