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Over the last few weeks the 2011 accident rate data has been coming out. On January 5th, Aviation International News headlines read:

1. Recent Period Safest for Airlines in Modern History
2. Year Ends with Significant Increase in Bizav Accidents

The headlines would suggest a significant change in business aviation and commercial aviation accident rates.  In actuality, the statistical differences are rather small.

In a report provided by Robert E. Breiling Associates Inc., the total fatalities, of U.S.-registered business jets and turboprop operations, nearly doubled from 19 to 35 in 2011, while the number of incidents increased from 90 in 2010 to 101 in 2011.

As dramatic as these headlines seem, the plotting of statistical data for accident rates, has been a generally flat line for the last 4 decades.  Since 1979, the fatality rate has been less than 2 per 100,000 flight hours.

In my perspective, the data is saying, to improve the accident rates we will need to do a better job of managing safety processes.

For more information about safety management systems, visit AirSafetyGroup.com or contact Jeff Whitman.

In September 2011, a Yak Service Yak-42, carrying a professional ice hockey team, crashed on takeoff from Yaroslavl-Tunoshna Airport in Russia, killing 44 of the 45 occupants. The world was shocked and saddened by the news. Obviously something had gone terribly wrong. This week, crash investigators made public their findings. The reason: Pilot error.

Surprising?  No.  Preventable?  Yes.   The pilots clearly made errors.  But the sad truth is that the crash was preventable.  How?  To answer that we must dig deeper and go beyond the “who” is to blame and turn our focus to the “why.”  That is how we’ll uncover the underlying problems – the real reasons for the crash – and determining a way to solve them.

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The Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act (H. R. 4343), which became law (Public Law No: 110-135) on December 13, 2007, extended the federal age standard for pilots of large commercial aircraft from 60 to 65 years of age.  A provision of the act requires the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report, no later than 24 months after its enactment, the effect, if any, of the change on aviation safety.

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