Tue, Aug 12, 2003
Air Safety Foundation Says It Isn't Mostly Students Who Do
It
A new study by the AOPA
Air Safety Foundation dispels some commonly-held beliefs many
general aviation pilots have about stalls and spins. The results of the study, developed using
data from the ASF GA Safety Database, are
available free.
"A common misconception is that student pilots are most likely
to suffer fatal stall/spin type accidents," said ASF Executive
Director Bruce Landsberg. "ASF's research shows that's completely
untrue. Pilots with commercial pilot certificates are far more
likely to be involved in such accidents, and private pilots aren't
far behind."
Stall and spin-related
accidents are among the most deadly types of GA accidents, with a
fatality rate of about 28 percent, and accounting for about 10
percent of all GA accidents. Fatal stall/spin accidents most often
begin at or below traffic pattern altitude (generally 1,000' above
ground level), well below the altitude necessary to recover from
even a one-turn spin. From that altitude, even pilots with
aerobatic training stand virtually no chance of recovery.
Spin training for private pilots -- advocated by many old-time
flight instructors -- appears to be of little benefit in reducing
the incidence of stall/spin accidents, although it may be
educational in showing pilots what aircraft can and cannot do.
Stall/spin accidents, many in training, have declined dramatically
since the elimination in 1949 of mandatory spin training for
private pilots, even as airplanes have become more spin-resistant
by design.
ASF's report on GA stalls and spins is the first in a series of
Air Safety Foundation Topic Specific Studies. The series is based
on research using the ASF Safety Database, the largest
non-governmental compilation of GA accident records in the world.
It is made possible by a generous grant from Mike Lazar, ASF Board
of Visitor member, the Emil Buehler Trust, and individual pilot
donors who believe that GA safety is to everyone's benefit.
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