GAO calls for changes at the FAA
November 1, 2012, 03:38 pm
The U.S. Government Accountability Office recently asked the Federal Aviation Administration to begin collecting flight hours for all general aviation aircraft, in addition to data on recurrent training. It also wants the FAA to set safety improvement goals for individual industry segments.
According to a recent report by the National Transportation Safety Board, 92 percent of every aviation accident in 2011 occurred in general aviation, which is one reason the GAO is calling for new safety standards from the FAA.
The 22nd edition of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Associations Air Safety Institute's Joseph T. Nall report also showed that flight activity in general aviation increased in 2010, and the accident rate showed little difference from previous years.
FAA data showed that flight activity increased in all four aviation segments including 1 percent jump in helicopter flight hours, 7 percent increase in non-commercial helicopter flights, a 4 percent increase in commercial fixed wing and a 3 percent jump in non-commercial fixed wing activity. FAA data also showed that accident rates for fixed-wing and helicopter segments remained relatively unchanged in 2010 compared to years past in addition to slight declines in non-commercial fixed-wing accident rates.
The GAO showed that while the number of accidents have decreased from 1999 to 2011, there were more than 200 fatal accidents each of those years. The report also showed that while experimental aviation accounted for just 4 percent of total flight hours, it contained 21 percent of all fatal accidents.
“We can draw some conclusions about general aviation accident characteristics, but limitations in flight activity and other data preclude a confident assessment of general aviation safety,” GAO officials said in the report.
GAO officials recommended that the FAA collect flight hours of general aviation aircraft during certain periods of time to learn about accidents, such as during registration renewals or at annual maintenance inspections. In addition, officials suggest that the FAA set specific goals to reduce the general aviation accident rate, such as setting a fatal accident reduction target number.
Researchers at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are attempting to improve safety by using GPS-guided approaches in low visibility at general aviation airports.
The project, sponsored by the FAA and led by Michael Wiggins, professor of aeronautical science, is set to being in Daytona Beach, Florida, next summer.
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