New Britain herald., 1930-01-27
AVIATION SAFETY
 GREATER IN 1929
Federal Report Shows More
 Miles Flown Per Accident

flown for each accident in civil aeronautics in the United States for the first six months of 1929 over the same period in the previous year is shown in the semi-annual report or aircraft accidents made public today by Clar2nce NJ. Young, assis-- ant secretary of commerce for aero nautiCs.
 A total of 56.2O133S miles w1s flown by civil aircraft in the United | States between January and June. | l929--morc than three times As much as during the first six months | of 192S--in air transport and ln.scel | Ianeous opcr ltions. Air transport | operations, it was stated, includes hose in which aircraft carry pas scngers, mail or express on schedul- | cd service over regularly established | routes, and miscelancouS operations | include student instruction, eXpcri- | mental, commercial and pleasure flying. Tn scheduled air transport opera lions for this period, the report shows there were 9,"Ol.5SS miles flown with nine fatal accidents r@- ported, the mileage flown for ca"n fatal accident therefore being !.- ho,371. For the same period of 19! !S there were 4,4S4.612 miles flown and five fatal accidents, the miles per fatal accident being S9G,922.
 Considering all classes of ac1i- dents, including those referred to above as well as all others. the miles flown per accident in sChe1- uled air transport operations for &he first half of 1929 tota,cd 53.306 aS there were 50 accidents. For the corresponding period in 1928, the total number of accidents reported was S5, which placed the miles per accident at 12S.1S2.
 11S Fatal Accidents
 AS there was total of 47,00O.090 miles flown in miscellaneous opera tlons in the 1929 period, and IS there was a total of 11S fatal acci- dents, the miles flown per fatal ac cident in this class of flying amount cd to 39S.305, while in the same period in 1928, the total mileage WIS l".000,000, the number of fatal ac. cldents was 92, and the miles flown per fatal accid ant numbered 1904
 The total number of all classes of accidents reported in the 1929 six month period in miscellaneous ope-- ationS, was 7l4, which brought the miles per accident in miscellaneous operations to 65,52G. This mileage per accident was more than twice hat for the same period in 1928, as he records show but 3O.3S0 miles flown per accident in that period. This latter figure is based on q total number of accidents for thot period of S95.
 Carried out further to take in the total mileage flown in all classes ot aircraft operations for each fatal accident, the figures show there was one fatal accident during the first half of 1929 for every 442,530 miles flown. The total number of fatal accidents for this period was 127 while the total miles flown was more rhan 56.000.00O, as previously s4t forth. For the corresponding period Of 1928, however, the number 9: fatal accidents in all classes of opc.. ations was 97. the miles flown were 6,464612, giving a total mileage per fatal accident in all classes o1 flying of 169,o44.
 Increase of 100 Per Cent
 From the standpoint of mileage flown per accident in all classes oi civil aircraft operations and for aI classes of accidents throughout tn, United States for the first half D 1929, the figures show an incrcaz, O. almost 100 per cent over the cor responding period of 1928. Ther, vas total of 774 accidents in th' first six months of 1929, whicj placed the total mileage per acci dent at 72,6l2. For the first half 0 1928, there were 4S0 accidents of al kinds, and total mileage of 3S,33%3 per accident for all classes of opera ton.
 It will be noted that direct com rarisons only have been made be tween the mileage flown and tn number of accidents in the first hal o"2,571 For the same period of 19- This was done because weather con ditions during the last six month oN the calendar year are more favor ble for flying than during the frs six months, and obviously, the las half Of the year has the. advanta :, over the first part. The aeronauti, branch believes that due to th shortage Of field personnel for car ryins on the work, there doubtles were some unreported accidents | 1928, in which event, the increase i. mileage flown per accident for 3. over 1928 would be even grcato than shown in this report.
 Four Accident Causes
 The causes of the accidents al divided into four major classirlca tlons-personncl, power plant fai ures, airplane failures, and misce laneous. There is a fifth categor given over to undetermined an doubtful causes.
 The largest percentage of the a; cidents was attributed to personn4 the total being 59.04 per cent. T. next largest cause was credited : power plant failures, which amour ed to lS.0S per cent. Airplar structural failures contributed S.> per cent, and miscellaneous g.; per cent. In the miscellaneous clas weather was credited with 5.02 D. cent; airport and terrain, 2.7S D cent; darkness, 0.5l per cent al other causes not falling under u general classifications, 104 per cel The percentage of undetermined ar doubtful causes was 473 per cent Findings of ENDerts