Report: Additional FAA Efforts Could Mitigate Safety Risks

Though the number of non-fatal and fatal general aviation accidents decreased between 1999 and 2011, there were still more than 200 fatal accidents occurring in each of those years, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

92 percent of fatal accidents in 2011 occurred in general aviation, according to figures provided by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The general aviation industry – which includes all forms of aviation except commercial and military – comprises a diverse fleet of more than 220,000 aircraft.

Most general aviation accidents are due to pilot error and involve single-engine piston airplanes.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has set a goal to reduce the fatal general aviation accident rate per 100,000 flight hours by 10 percent between 2009 and 2018.

The FAA has outlined a five year strategy plan that focuses on risk management, outreach and engagement, training and safety promotion.

As a result of the study, GAO recommends the FAA require collection of flight hour data, set safety improvement goals and develop performance measures to support the five year strategy.

Source: GAO