AOPA and the AOPA Air Safety Foundation directed many reporters and pilots to the ASF Web site to get the facts and to avoid getting lost in the hysteria of the moment. The report is limited to accidents involving fixed-wing general aviation aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds. Data based on preliminary information may alter some of the percentages, and users of the report should keep that in mind although the major causal factor areas change little from year to year. ASF just published the 1999 Nall Report, and GA had a good safety year during 1998. Key problem areas remain the same as in 1997.
Landings produce the most accidents but with relatively few injuries.
This isn t surprising because the difficult judgment problems are difficult to solve on an individual basis. Collectively, however, general aviation safety is very gradually improving. For comparison purposes, in 1997 there were 1,642 accidents, of which 331 involved fatalities. In 1998, the overall accident number increased by 37, and there were 10 more fatal accidents. The good news is that fatalities were down by 48, to 619.