2008 Nall Report - Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

1 (4.5%)
2008 NALL REPORT
0 5 10 15 20 25
Stall/loss
of control
Hit wires or
structures
Mountains
or canyons
Aerobatics
Types of Maneuvering Accidents
59 (64.8%)
22 (43.1%)
15 (16.5%)
Total
14 (27.5%)
Fatal
11 (12.1%)
11 (21.6%)
6 (6.6%)
4 (7.8%)
Pilot Qualifications and Experience
Commercial pilots were disproportionately involved
in maneuvering accidents, making up 40 of
the 89 whose certificate levels were known (44.9
percent). Twenty-nine (32.6 percent) were private
pilots and 13 (14.6 percent) held ATP certificates
(Figure 28). Four student pilots, two sport pilots,
and one unlicensed pilot also had maneuvering
accidents. Eleven of 13 accidents involving ATPs
were fatal (85 percent) compared to 40 percent
for commercial pilots and 62 percent for private
pilots. The distribution of flight experience at
each level does not differ greatly from those in
other accident categories (data not shown).
Pilots Involved in Maneuvering Accidents
Stalled or
settled on
takeoff
Stalled during
climb
Loss of control
Weight/density
altitude
Runway
conditions
Other
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Maneuvering was the leading cause of fatal general
aviation accidents in 2007 (Figure 27), accounting
for 91 total and 51 fatal accidents. Almost
two-thirds (59 of 91, or 64.8 percent) involved
stalls and/or loss of aircraft control, often at low
altitudes. Fifteen 22 (13.6%) (16.5 percent) involved collisions
Total
with 5 structures (16.7%) or power lines, 11 (12.1 percent)
were collisions with mountains or canyon walls,
11 (6.8%)
Fatal
and six (6.6 percent) occurred while attempting
8 (26.7%)
aerobatic maneuvers.
9 (30.0%)
Fatal maneuvering accidents were almost equally
divided between
19 (11.7%)
collisions with wires, objects, terrain,
2 (6.7%) etc. (25, or 49.0 percent) and losses of aircraft
control, including stalls with or without spins (22,
17 (10.5%)
or 43.1 percent).
1 (3.3%)
5 (16.7%)
24 (14.8%)
69 (42.6%)
Figure 27
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Certificate Level All Accidents Fatal Accidents
ATP 13 (14.3%) 11 (21.6%)
Commercial 40 (44.0%) 16 (31.4%)
Private 29 (31.9%) 18 (35.3%)
Sport 2 (2.2%) 1 (2.0%)
Student 4 (4.4%) 2 (3.9%)
None or unknown 3 (3.3%) 3 (5.9%)
Figure 28
Aircraft Class
A disproportionate number of maneuvering accidents
(83 of 91, or 91.2 percent) occurred in
fixed-gear singles, and 51 of these (56.0 percent
of all maneuvering accidents) had conventional
gear (Figure 29). However, those in tricycle-gear
airplanes had a sharply higher lethality rate: 78
percent vs. 37 percent in tailwheel airplanes. The
relatively high rate of survivable crop-dusting accidents
is one factor in this difference. The figures
for fixed-gear singles also include two accidents in
seaplanes, one fatal.
Aircraft Involved in Maneuvering Accidents
All Accidents Fatal Accidents
Single-engine fixed 83 (91.2%) 44 (86.3%)
Conventional gear 51 19
Single-engine retractable 7 (7.7%) 6 (11.8%)
Multiengine 1 (1.1%) 1 (2.0%)
Figure 29
VFR into IMC
24 (48.0%)
21 (51.2%)
IFR technique
11 (22.0%)
11 (26.8%)
Thunderstorms
5 (10.0%)
4 (9.8%)
4 (8.0%)
Total
20 21
Fatal