Fri, Nov 15, 2019
Most Of Those Were The Result Of GA Accidents, Board Says
U.S. civil aviation deaths increased from 347 in 2017 to 393 in 2018, according to preliminary statistics released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The year 2018 saw the nation’s first airline passenger fatality since 2009, when a passenger on a Southwest airliner was killed in connection with an engine failure.
Most aviation deaths in 2018 took place during general aviation operations, when 381 were killed, compared to 331 the year before. The fatal accident rate in general aviation was 1.029 accidents per 100,000 flight hours, compared to 2017’s rate of 0.935.
Accidents in On-Demand Part 135 operations, which encompass charters, air taxis, air tours and medical services (when a patient is on board), claimed 12 lives, down from 16 in 2017.
“It is disappointing to see the fatal general aviation accident rate increase after two years with the rate below 1.0 per 100,000 flight hours,” said NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt (pictured). Although the fatal accident rate for Part 135 operations decreased in 2018, in recent years the NTSB has investigated some Part 135 accidents that had glaring safety deficiencies. “Aviators in both the general aviation and Part 135 communities need to renew their emphasis on building and sustaining a safety culture, and recipients of our safety recommendations in this area need to implement those life-saving recommendations.”
The statistics do not detail potential reasons for the increase in fatalities in U.S. aviation, but the NTSB has addressed aviation safety in both the General Aviation and Part 135 operations communities, including highlighting related safety issues on its Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements. Improve the safety of Part 135 aircraft flight operations is on the NTSB’s 2019 – 2020 Most Wanted List and the agency recently held a roundtable in Anchorage, Alaska, to identify solutions to Part 135 flight operations safety.
(Source: NTSB news release)
More News
From 2023 (YouTube Version): Legacy of a Titan Robert (Bob) Anderson Hoover was a fighter pilot, test pilot, flight instructor, and air show superstar. More so, Bob Hoover was an i>[...]
Get The Latest in Aviation News NOW on Instagram Are you on Instagram yet? It's been around for a few years, quietly picking up traction mostly thanks to everybody's new obsession >[...]
Aero Linx: B-52H Stratofortress The B-52H Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic spee>[...]
Altimeter Setting The barometric pressure reading used to adjust a pressure altimeter for variations in existing atmospheric pressure or to the standard altimeter setting (29.92).>[...]
"Knowing that we play an active part in bettering people's lives is extremely rewarding. My team and I are very thankful for the opportunity to be here and to help in any way we ca>[...]
Classic Aero-TV: Remembering Bob Hoover
See All