Spring Release Planned For Safety Study
Throughout the 2011 calendar year, the NTSB 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 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.