The NTSB this week released preliminary aviation accident statistics for 2012, showing that Part 121 commercial airline operations remained fatality-free, and general aviation accidents were virtually unchanged. In the general aviation segment, the number of total accidents was 1,470 in 2011 and 1,471 in 2012. Fatalities decreased slightly, from 448 to 432, and the accident rate per 100,000 flight hours declined from 6.84 to 6.78. On-demand Part 135 operations showed improvement, with decreases across all measures, the NTSB said.
The safety board has been advocating for a change in the general aviation safety rate for several years, citing the failure to improve and a tendency for the same causes to recur over and over again. The NTSB recently issued a series of five online videos addressing the major causes of GA accidents. The 2012 statistical tables showing accidents, fatalities and accident rates for major segments of U.S. civil aviation are posted online.
