NTSB COMPLETES DATA COLLECTION FOR STUDY ON EXPERIMENTAL - AMATEUR BUILT AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS

[NTSB Press Releases <ntsbpressreleases@xxxxxxxx>]

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                      NTSB PRESS RELEASE

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National Transportation Safety Board

Washington, DC 20594

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 23, 2012

 

 

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NTSB COMPLETES DATA COLLECTION FOR STUDY ON EXPERIMENTAL-

AMATEUR BUILT AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS

 

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WASHINGTON - Throughout the 2011 calendar year, the National

Transportation Safety Board has been conducting a study of

Experimental Amateur-Built (E-AB) aircraft to evaluate the

safety of this growing and innovative segment of general

aviation. In addition to using the information gathered

during its accident investigations, the NTSB has been

working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the

Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and individual

owners and builders to evaluate a range of issues unique to

this popular segment of general aviation.

 

"The cooperation we have received from EAA and the E-AB

community has been tremendous," said NTSB Chairman Deborah

A.P Hersman. "Through this study, we hope that we'll be able

to give the innovators and aviators in the community

information about accidents that will result in a real and

immediate safety payoff for them when they are flying these

aircraft."

 

As part of the study, NTSB investigators have conducted in-

depth investigations of 222 E-AB aircraft accidents that

occurred during 2011. Fifty-four of these accidents resulted

in 67 fatalities. Most of these accidents (93%) involved

amateur-built airplanes, the remaining accidents involved

gyroplanes (4%), helicopters (2%), and gliders (1%). These

accidents occurred in 44 states, with California (18

accidents), Texas (16 accidents), and Florida (14 accidents)

accounting for the most. More than half (53%) of the E-AB

accidents investigated in 2011 involved E-AB aircraft that

were bought used, as opposed to having been built by the

current owner.

 

The EAA has supported the study by conducting a web-based

survey of E-AB owners and builders. More than 5,000 E-AB

owners and builders responded to EAA's survey, and 4,923 of

these responses were sufficiently complete to use in

analyses. Most respondents (97%) described E-AB airplanes,

while gliders, gyrocopters, and helicopters were each

described by slightly less than 1% of the respondents.

Sixty-three percent of respondents had already built their

E-AB aircraft, 13% were currently building their E-AB

aircraft, and nearly 24% had bought used E-AB aircraft. More

than 340 distinct makes of amateur-built aircraft were

reported, although kit manufacturers accounted for more than

55% of the reported aircraft.

 

"The NTSB is extremely pleased with the number of

respondents who participated in the survey," said Dr. Joseph

Kolly, Director of the Office of Research and Engineering.

"The survey data provides us with quantifiable, factual

information that enriches our understanding of how E-AB

aircraft are built and operated."

 

The safety study is scheduled to be completed in the spring

of 2012.

 

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Contact: NTSB Public Affairs

Peter Knudson/Keith Holloway

peter.knudson@xxxxxxxx

keith.holloway@xxxxxxxx

(202) 314-6100

 

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