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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Table 2-14: U.S. General Aviationa Safety Data

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Table 2-14: U.S. General Aviationa Safety Data

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  1960d 1965d 1970d 1975 1980 1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
TOTAL fatalities 787 1,029 1,310 1,252 1,239 956 767 R799 R867 R740 R730 R735 R636 R631 R624 R619 594
TOTAL seriously injured persons N N 715 769 681 R501 R409 R432 R408 R385 R415 R396 R365 R350 R327 R322 310
TOTAL accidentsb 4,793 5,196 4,712 3,995 3,590 2,739 R2,241 R2,197 R2,111 R2,063 R2,022 R2,056 R1,908 R1,845 R1,904 R1,906 1,838
Fatal 429 538 641 633 618 498 443 R438 R451 R400 R404 R413 R361 R350 R364 R340 343
Flight hours (thousands) 13,121 16,733 26,030 28,799 36,402 28,322 28,510 27,678 24,780 22,796 22,235 24,906 24,881 R25,591 R25,518 R29,713 29,057
Rates per 100,000 flight hoursc                                  
Fatalities 6.00 6.15 5.03 4.35 3.40 3.38 2.69 R2.88 R3.50 R3.25 R3.28 2.95 R2.56 R2.47 R2.45 R2.08 2.04
Seriously injured persons N N 2.75 2.67 1.87 R1.77 R1.43 R1.56 R1.65 R1.69 R1.87 1.59 R1.47 R1.37 R1.28 R1.08 1.07
Total accidents 36.53 31.05 18.10 13.87 9.86 9.66 R7.86 R7.93 R8.52 R9.05 R9.09 R8.26 7.67 R7.21 R7.46 R6.41 6.33
Fatal 3.27 3.22 2.46 2.20 1.70 1.75 1.55 R1.58 R1.82 R1.75 R1.82 R1.66 1.45 R1.37 R1.43 R1.14 1.18

KEY: N = data do not exist; P = preliminary; R = revised.

a U.S. registered civil aircraft not operated under 14 CFR 121 or 14 CFR 135. Accidents on foreign soil and in foreign waters are excluded. Suicide/sabotage cases included in accidents and fatalities but excluded from accident rates in this table are: 1985 (3 accidents, 2 fatal accidents); 1990 (1,0); 1995 (4,3).

b Since April 1995, the National Transportation Safety Board has been required by law to investigate all public-use accidents, increasing the number of NTSB reported general aviation accidents by approximately 1.75%.

c Rates are computed by dividing the number of fatalities, serious injuries, total accidents, and fatal accidents by the number of flight hours.

d Data for 1960, 1965, and 1970 include air taxi.

NOTE: Flight hours are estimated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration.

SOURCES:

Fatalities, accidents, and flight-hours:

1960-70: National Transportation Safety Board, Annual Review of Aircraft Accident Data: U.S. General Aviation, Calendar Year 1970, NTSB/ARG-74/1 (Washington, DC: April 1974), table 117.

1975-80: Ibid. Annual Review of Aircraft Accident Data: General Aviation, Calendar Year 1985, NTSB/ARG-87/03 (Washington, DC: October 1987), table 21.

1985-2000: Ibid. Internet site www.ntsb.gov/aviation/Table10.htm as of May 7, 2002.

Serious injuries:

1970-94: National Transportation Safety Board, Annual Review of Aircraft Accident Data: General Aviation (Washington, DC: Annual issues).

1995-2000: Ibid. Analysis and Data Division, personal communications, 1996; 1997; 1998; Mar. 28, 2000, and May 8, 2002.