USGENERAL-AVIATION(GA) safety improved in 1996, with fewer fatal accidents than in any year since 1956, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Based on preliminary flight-hour estimates from the US Federal Aviation Administration, the fatal-accident rate last year was the lowest ever recorded.
There were 358 fatal GA accidents in 1996, in which 631 people were killed. This is a 13% reduction in fatal accidents over the previous year. Based on an estimated 23.6 million hours of GA operations over the year, the fatal-accident rate was an all-time-low of 1.51/100,000h. Total accidents declined by 7%, to 1,907 in 1996.
The US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) attributes some of the improvement to continuing pilot education. The organisation says that the majority of accidents were landing mishaps. While low-altitude manoeuvring flight accounted for most of the fatal accidents, such accidents were down by 24% in 1996, AOPA says.
In contrast, air-taxi operators suffered their highest fatal-accident rate for 15 years, says the NTSB. In 1996, 59 people died in air-taxi accidents, compared with 52 in 1995.
Source: Flight International
