Comprehensive Analysis of General Aviation Accidents Volume 1: Trends, Distributions, and Causes.

摘要

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) conducted a series of analyses to find patterns and associations among general aviation (GA) accidents. This research is intended to provide the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with analyses of Fatal, Serious, and Minor/None GA accidents by examining the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) database for each FAA region. The analyses shown in this report focused on examining GA accidents that occurred between 1982 and 2009 for each FAA region. According to the NTSB coding manual, more than 320 codes are used to identify the sequence of events leading to an aviation accident. However, a major portion of Fatal, Serious, and Minor/None GA accidents can be attributed to the ten most frequent initiating causes. The research team provided comprehensive analyses of these initiating causes for all nine FAA regions. This report provides exploratory statistics based on month, time of day, phase, and purpose of flight. The report also explores the role of the top ten initiating causes for Fatal, Serious, and Minor/None GA accidents and examines associations between GA accidents and pilot experience. Furthermore, the report explores the role of aircraft complexity (based on engine horsepower) in Fatal, Serious, and Minor/None GA accidents.