2008 Nall Report - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

Other
5 (16.7%)
2008 NALL REPORT
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
VFR into IMC
IFR technique
Thunderstorms
Turbulence
Icing
Other
Flight
planning
Systems
operation
Contamination
Powerplant
2 (4.9%)
2 (4.9%)
2 (4.0%)
1 (2.4%)
4 (8.0%)
Total
Fatal
0 5 10 15 20 25
Nearly half of all weather-related accidents resulted
from pilots attempting to continue VFR flight
into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).
Twenty-one out of the 24 were fatal (Figure 22).
VFR into IMC accidents were distributed fairly
evenly throughout the year, with 66 six (73.3%) in the first
quarter, eight in the second, and five each in the
third 3 (33.3%) and fourth quarters.
Deficient instrument flying technique accounted Total
for almost half
22
of
(24.4%)
the rest, all of which were fatal.
This included at least five approaches on which Fatal the
pilot
4 (44.4%)
descended below the minimum descent altitude
or decision height without the required visual
references.
2 (2.2%)
Types of Weather Accidents
5 (10.0%)
4 (9.8%)
4 (8.0%)
11 (22.0%)
11 (26.8%)
24 (48.0%)
21 (51.2%)
Of the 36 pilots for whom this information was
2 (22.2%)
available, just over half (19) were instrumentrated.
Sixteen of the 17 VFR-only pilots held pri-
pilot 10 certificates; 20 30 1340of 1950 accidents 60 involving 70 80
0vate
instrument-rated pilots were fatal, as were 14 of
17 among VFR pilots. Almost two-thirds of 2007’s
weather accidents (33) involved private pilots,
while ATPs accounted for only two. The other 15
all involved commercial pilots.
11 (57.9%)
Figure 22
87 (39.7%)
Aircraft Class
Faster, more complex aircraft accounted for a
higher proportion of weather accidents than of all
GA accidents combined, and were more consistently
fatal (Figure 23). This is likely the result of
such aircraft being used more frequently for transportation
missions as well as the greater destructiveness
of higher-speed impacts.
Aircraft Involved in Weather Accidents
All Accidents Fatal Accidents
Single-engine fixed 29 (58.0%) 22 (53.7%)
Single-engine retractable 12 (24.0%) 11 (26.8%)
Multiengine 9 (18.0%) 8 (19.5%)
Figure 23
Note: The counts for single-engine fixed include one
fatal accident in a seaplane, and at least eleven highperformance
or technically advanced aircraft: four
Caravans, four C182s, and three Cirrus.
Type of Operation
A large number (84 percent) of weather accidents
occurred on personal flights (Figure 24). Three of the
remaining eight (all fatal) were on business flights,
three (two fatal) on positioning flights, and one (fatal)
on a federal public-use flight. The purpose of the
remaining flight was not reported.
Purpose of Weather Accident Flights
All Accidents Fatal Accidents
Personal 42 (84.0%) 34 (82.9%)
Business 3 (6.0%) 3 (7.3%)
Public use,
positioning, or unknown 5 (10.0%) 4 (9.8%)
Figure 24
Flight Conditions
Twenty (40 percent) of the weather-related accidents
occurred in VMC, although several involved
marginal or deteriorating conditions (Figure 25).
Flight Conditions During Weather Accidents
All Accidents Fatal Accidents
Day VMC 16 (32.0%) 10 (24.4%)
Night VMC 4 (8.0%) 4 (9.8%)
Day IMC 20 (40.0%) 19 (46.3%)
Night IMC 10 (20.0%) 8 (19.5%)
Gear and
brakes
60 (27.4%)
Figure 25
Fuel system
3 (15.8%)
45 (20.5%)
16 17