Fatal General Aviation Accidents in Furtherance of Business (1996–2015): Rates, Risk Factors, and Accident Causes

Abstract

Introduction: General aviation missions related to furtherance of business potentially carry higher risk (operations in adverse weather, at night, for longer distances) than those undertaken for recreation. The study herein was undertaken to determine fatal accident rates, proportions, and risk factors/causes. Method: The National Transportation Safety Board aviation accident database was queried for accidents (1996-2015). Annual fleet times were from the general aviation annual activity survey. Statistical analyses used Poisson distributions, proportion testing, and Cohen's Kappa tests. Results: The fatal accident rate for business operations was three-to six-fold lower than the rate for recreational flights with a decline evident between 1996 and 2015. However, a higher proportion of business-related accidents were fatal (33%) compared with recreational flight mishaps (22%). Business-related, fatal accidents were over-represented for operations of longer flight distance, non-daylight hours, and degraded visibility. The most frequent accident cause categories were a deficiency in pilot skills/experience/systems knowledge (45%) and violation of the federal aviation regulations (e.g. departure into instrument conditions without an instrument flight plan, flight into known/forecast icing) (26%). Conclusion: Despite the fatal accident rate declining for business-related missions, the proportion of fatal mishaps was higher than that for recreational flights. Practical application: Towards enhancing safety (a) flight reviews should discuss alternate flight planning to circumvent the hazards of night operations, adverse weather, and fatigue, (b) pilots should be encouraged to participate in additional training, e.g. the FAAST program, and (c) pilots should avail themselves of aviation training devices for maintaining instrument proficiency.

Flight safety assessment based on a modified human error risk quantification approach

“…To complete a flight mission, an aircraft must go through several stages, i.e., taxiing, takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, approach, and landing. Since approach is one of the stages with the highest accident rate as well as the most dangerous in an entire flight [ 34 ], we select tit as the valuable analysis object first. The information as to the approach stage and cockpit situational environment are collected from the B737-800 flight crew operations manual and Aviation Safety Reporting System and then analyzed, with the key task to screen the tasks that flight crew participate in during the approach stage.…”

Aircraft Insurance Costs Management for Sustainable General Aviation: Insights From General Aviation Enterprises in China

“…For instance, accidents in helicopter emergency medical services carry a higher risk of fatality than other GA flights because of adverse conditions, unknown landing sites, and time stress ( 60 ). Moreover, the fatal accident rate on business flights is significantly lower than the rate for recreational use ( 61 ). Insurers choose to charge different premiums based on where the aircraft is located, the destination, elevation, airport runway length, and terrain ( 9 , 47 , 62 ).…”

“…Pilot factors is another dimension worthy of consideration. The dominating influence of pilot errors on GA accidents has been discussed in detail in many articles, including previously mentioned research (22,45,61). Most insurers obtain pilot demographics, including name and age, cumulative flight hours, training, and health condition, as the basis of assessing the probability of pilot errors and the influence on liability insurance rates (9,14,25).…”