NONFATAL, WEATHER-INVOLVED GENERAL AVIATION ACCIDENTS

The National Transportation Safety Board is concerned about the large number of weather-involved general aviation accidents. This study is based on 7,856 such accidents, which have occurred from 1964 through 1974. During the 11-year study period, inadequate preflight planning preparation and/or planning was the most frequently cited cause in which both pilots and weather were involved. Statistics reveal that most of the nonfatal, weather-involved general aviation accidents occurred during the landing regime, i.e., either during the landing roll or during leveloff and touchdown, when unfavorable wind conditions existed, and the weather was VFR. Unfavorable winds were cited 5 times more frequently as a cause or a factor than were low ceilings, and 16 times more frequently than was thunderstorm activity. Statistics also reveal that a pilot was 12 times more likely to encounter weather as predicted than to encounter weather worse than predicted. As a result of its findings, the Safety Board urges general aviation pilots to attend the various safety seminars, clinics, and courses of instruction sponsored by both Government and industry.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Special Study 1964-1974.
• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  Office of Aviation Safety
  Washington, DC  United States  20594
• Publication Date: 1976-5-27

Media Info

• Pagination: 21 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pilots; Air transportation crashes; Aircraft operations; Aviation safety; Education; General aviation aircraft; Landing; Project management; Statistical analysis; Thunderstorms; Weather; Wind
• Uncontrolled Terms: Projects
• Old TRIS Terms: Aircraft landing; Preflight preparation
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Aviation; Data and Information Technology; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00143331
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: NTSB-AAS-76-3
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 17 1977 12:00AM