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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 2002 2003 (P) 2004
TOTAL fatalities 787 1,029 1,310 1,252 1,239 956 770 800 867 744 730 735 636 631 (R) 625 619 596 562 581 (R) 632 556
Total seriously injured persons N N 715 769 681 501 409 432 408 385 415 396 (R) 366 350 327 322 (R) 309 (R) 321 (R) 297 322 266
Total accidentsb 4,793 5,196 4,712 3,995 3,590 2,739 2,242 2,197 2,111 2,064 2,022 2,056 1,908 (R) 1,844 (R) 1,905 1,905 1,837 (R) 1,727 (R) 1,715 (R) 1,741 1,614
Total accidentsb, fatal 429 538 641 633 618 498 444 439 451 401 404 413 361 350 (R) 365 340 345 325 345 (R) 352 312
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 29,246 27,838 25,431 25,545 (R) 25,705 25,900
Rates per 100,000 flight hoursc                                          
Fatalities 6.00 6.15 5.03 4.35 3.40 3.38 2.70 2.89 3.50 3.26 3.28 2.95 2.56 2.47 (R) 2.45 2.12 2.14 2.21 2.27 (R) 2.46 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 (R) 1.47 1.37 1.28 1.10 (R) 1.11 (R) 1.27 (R) 1.16 1.25 1.03
Total accidents 36.53 31.05 18.10 13.87 9.86 9.67 7.86 7.94 8.52 9.05 9.09 8.26 7.67 (R) 7.21 (R) 7.47 6.51 6.60 (R) 6.79 (R) 6.71 (R) 6.77 6.23
Total accidents, fatal 3.27 3.22 2.46 2.20 1.70 1.76 1.56 1.59 1.82 1.76 1.82 1.66 1.45 1.37 (R) 1.43 1.16 1.24 1.28 1.35 (R) 1.37 1.20

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, and stolen/unauthorized cases included in accidents and fatalities but excluded from accident rates in this table are: 1985 (11 accidents, 6 fatal accidents); 1990 (4,1); 1991 (8,5); 1992 (2,1); 1993 (5,4); 1994 (3,2); 1995 (10,6); 1996 (4,0); 1997 (5,2); 1998 (6,4); 1999 (3,1); 2000 (7,7); 2001 (3,1); 2002 (6,5); 2003 (2,1); 2004 (3,0) .

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.

1985-2003: Ibid., Internet site www.ntsb.gov/aviation/Table10.htm as of Mar. 30, 2005.

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.

1985-2003: Ibid., Internet site www.ntsb.gov/aviation/Table10.htm as of Mar. 30, 2005.

Serious injuries:

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

1990-2004: Ibid., Analysis and Data Division, personal communications, Nov. 15, 2002, June 9, 2003, Apr. 23, 2004, and Apr. 4, 2005.