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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 2001
TOTAL fatalities 787 1,029 1,310 1,252 1,239 956 767 799 867 740 730 735 636 631 624 619 R593 563
Total seriously injured persons N N 715 769 681 501 409 432 408 385 415 396 365 350 327 322 R311 320
Total accidentsb 4,793 5,196 4,712 3,995 3,590 2,739 2,241 2,197 2,111 2,063 2,022 2,056 1,908 1,845 1,904 1,906 R1,835 1,723
Total accidentsb, fatal 429 538 641 633 618 498 443 438 451 400 404 413 361 350 364 340 R342 325
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 25,591 25,518 29,713 P29,057 P26,220
Rates per 100,000 flight hoursc                                    
Fatalities 6.00 6.15 5.03 4.35 3.40 3.38 2.69 2.89 3.50 3.25 3.28 2.95 2.56 2.47 2.45 2.08 2.04 2.15
Seriously injured persons N N 2.75 2.67 1.87 1.77 1.43 1.56 1.65 1.69 1.87 1.59 1.47 1.37 1.28 1.08 1.07 1.22
Total accidents 36.53 31.05 18.10 13.87 9.86 9.66 7.86 7.94 8.52 9.05 9.09 8.26 7.67 7.21 7.46 6.41 6.32 6.57
Total accidents, fatal 3.27 3.22 2.46 2.20 1.70 1.75 1.55 1.58 1.82 1.75 1.82 1.66 1.45 1.37 1.43 1.14 1.18 1.24

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 and accidents:

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: Ibid., Internet site www.ntsb.gov/aviation/Table10.htm as of July 29, 2002.

1990-2001: Ibid., Analysis and Data Division, personal communications, July 29, 2002 and Nov. 15, 2002.

Flight hours:

1990-2001: Ibid., Internet site www.ntsb.gov/aviation/Table10.htm as of July 29, 2002.

Serious injuries:

1970-85: National Transportation Safety Board, Annual Review of Aircraft Accident Data: General Aviation (Washington, DC: Annual issues).

1990-2001: Ibid., Analysis and Data Division, personal communications, July 29, 2002 and Nov. 15, 2002.