Why so many light aircraft accidents?
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- čas přidán 14. 06. 2024
- The UK CAA's recent annual safety report shows a continued rise in light aircraft accidents and serious incidents since the Covid pandemic - I explore why this might be. The podcast also notes that the number of reported Airproxes has been extremely high in the first half of 2023 and I reveal the biggest cause of pilot in flight impairment.
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Not trying to be controversial, but here are just a few ideas why the UK GA accident rate is high and not getting better: low number of UK GA pilots holding an Instrument Rating? Antiquated airport facilities? Lack of public funding for GA friendly local airports? Fleet consisting a large percentage of old aircraft without modern avionics? Bureaucracy and cost discouraging GA pilots from regular flying? Closure of many small GA airports reducing pilot hours flown? Lack of a joined up Flight Following service for GA aircraft from ATC? Overly complex Airspace and procedures? Etc……
I agree I fly GA in Canada now and it so much less complicated and enjoyable, plus no landing fees anywhere
How many incidents were caused by failed engines vs pilot error? Is it time to require a minimum of two engines or a minimum of a parachute recovery system for all single props? We're flying planes with a tablet for directions, kneeboard for notes, radio comms, weather/speed/altitude/angles/airspace/T&P's to be concerned about yet a car driver has very little distractions and a plenty more modern automation & safety improvements.
How does what you say coalesce with the fact most were landing incidents. You appear not controversial but not understanding what was said.
What you say is all valid and feed into a bigger picture of GA safety and support. I think though, that the CAA's finding that many of the accidents are caused by pilots landing too fast or too long, and then running off the runway/hitting hedges etc, shows that they feel that pilot error is the problem.
The big one is cost, hence the move by many GA pilots to microlight aircraft that are now on a par or better performance wise and a whole lot more cost effective. Hence more hours and lower accident issues.
Receave a mountain rating in France, and your landings improve dramatically. After landing at altisurface at altitude 8000 ft with runway length of 300 meters, then pilot start to understand what is a glide path, power management, speed control. Best thing in the world that money can buy.
Really enjoy and appreciate your channel Jon, thanks. I am an aviation enthusiast these days so not my area of expertise however here's my take on it. In just about anything you do; 'You don't rise to the level of your expectations rather you fall to the level of your training.' that is most likely why for what ever reasons statistics are as they are.
Train Hard fight easy is an old motto I used back in the day. So far more regular checks , and on going refreshers; above all else Discipline, more health checks and more regular aviation tests. I bet that might help.
Excellent report as usual Jon
Skills that we don't use, we lose. Great video.
That was one of the most awesome posts you’ve done. The style. Amazing. The content. Amazing. An ounce of experience worth a ton of advice. Well that was a tonne of experience brilliantly passed on. And I’m not talking about the stomach bugs. Each of the topics worth a post on its own. But the net result of your production thought process. Captivating. Bravo. Love your stuff Sir. Cheers.
Thanks Martin - I'm getting some comments that aren't so flattering. I'm considering putting this as a podcast only product - it is already a podcast- what do you think?
@@TheFlyingReporter hi ya. I don’t listen to podcasts so wouldn’t have been aware of this content but I like the podcast visual mix. As you know it’s often not what you say but how you say it and I like the body language / facial expression aspect to communication. The odd raised eyebrow can add reinforcement to a topic and assist humour.
@theflyingreporter keep the video as well. I also can’t be arsed with podcasts but love CZcams.
Because general aviation pilots have a tendency to believe that accidents cannot happen to them. We focus on skill that have nothing to do with what causes accidents. Steep turns, stalls and other basic maneuvers are good for getting a certificate, but the things that are actually killing pilots are things most don't practice. An example would be, not knowing what to do during a lost of power on take off. Some here in America are focusing on AQP( advanced qualification program)for general aviation.The same training commercial required for pilots, should be required for general aviation.
Engine Failure after Takeoff is an important requirement to obtain a PPL.
Not sure if you have covered in the past, but use of a good flight simulator for practicing the procedural aspects of PFLs & EFATOs can be valuable. You can configure random failures, or engine failures after a certain elapsed time or altitude. Can also practice things like pitot static failures, electrical failures etc that might catch us out if it happened in a real flight.
I'd put it down to people simply not doing it enough and getting complacent.
I'm an air traffic controller in the UK, our radar give lots of services to GA everyday, and you can tell right away from the moment they call up whether they're confident and know what they're doing, or whether they're hanging on by a thread, where even the most basic transmission is a struggle.
The trouble we have is that quite often it's the latter type of pilot who request entry and transit of our busy international airport without fully grasping the complexity of what is going to be required of them.
This usually results in seeing them fly off the course we need them to fly, altitude all over the place, wrong read backs and not listening because their mind is simply overloaded.
My point is, flying is a skill and any skill needs to be constantly practiced and maintained. Doubly so if the activity you're doing can be potentially fatal if it goes wrong. Unfortunately people get complacent and arrogant over time.
I second your thoughts. I fly through Heathrow and Farnborough class D nearly every flight I make. I have worked hard to make sure I can fly my aircraft without thinking so I am ahead of it, and then my radio work is smooth, I can focus on key tasks needed to transit and not get into a panic. I do make mistakes and usually share for others to learn from, but am also amazed how bad many pilots are on the radio, even just basic read backs. Thanks for your efforts keeping us sate @rennied2
I agree with everything you have said really. I just done a flight at LYD to do an RNP approach and spend time under the hood to keep my IR(R) or IMC proficiency, i found my skills were rusty and i think this is a big problem with the IMC rating in general having it sit there for 2 years without really using it, your instrument flying skills can degrade. Everything you said about stalls and flapless or glide approaches is true, i could do them more frequently. I think the real killer here is hobby pilots just not having enough currency and thinking they are better than they really are. I manage to squeeze in anywhere from 50-80 hours in a year at the moment, i cant imagine doing 12 hours a year and staying proficient enough.
Very useful, thanks Jon.
Thanks for watching John.
I’m a low-time heli pilot (and always will be, it costs a bomb) and know before I even take off that it’s a TEM factor. I never start up without remembering it could happen to me, especially as I can land off airport where the hazards multiply geometrically.
Please explain what a TEM factor is. Thanks.
@@jamesdunn3864 Threat and Error management. Of keen interest to those who wish to become old pilots.
Thanks@@Steeyuv
Its similar if not the same as what was known as a 'Risk Assessment' @@jamesdunn3864
I had a prop strike today. Never done that before.
Sounded like you had some Peckham Spring Water in Thailand, Jon! 😆
Great production again 👌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Probability of being injured is still ridiculously low, I ride my motorbike to the airfield, guess what part of my journey is the riskiest.
It's a fair point. I think we should all be worried about this upward trend though.
Hi John, another great non biased report, on a separate note whilst transiting across Southend airspace late this afternoon I heard a very familiar voice followed by the call sign golf India victor.
The wife was in the rh seat & was confused by my excitement.
I bet it took quite a bit of explaining! Nice to share the frequency with you.
It's a goodd point you make about flapless landings. I would recommend annotating your checklist with the flapless approach speed and nil wind landing distance required (if not already present), so that these are at hand when you need them.
Your summary at 3:30 that CAA (no doubt after extensive research) concluded the reason for all these accidents is due to "aeroplanes" is absolutely brilliant!
I have to say that the CCA food list seemed to cover almost every type of food. I am a lapsed PPL but I did hold a PPL SE IR with about 600 hours so I do understand the potential problem.
Closure of major airfields might lead to more aircraft operating out of smaller more challenging airstrips. These are also cheaper to operate to/from which attracts pilots when cost of flying is ever more expensive. Hence the increase in collisions with hedges, fences etc.
That's an interesting thought. It could be a factor i suppose.
Extremely interesting report
Great discussion video. The Joy of statistics. I'd be really interested to know how the microlight incidents were broken down as the term MICROLIGHT covers a large scope of aircraft from single seat machines from 76kgs to 600kg aircraft, were they 3 Axis or flexwing. You could also break down the number of incidents compared to the number of hours flown. It seems there is a difference in perception on microlights and how they operate as microlights generally operate from shorter rougher strips requiring more accurate flying. The BMAA run a wings scheme as well.
could the vibrancy of what's seen on youtube and such inspire more exuberant flying where it was previously a more fearful operation by the books?
Jon the important accidents to focus on I think are the fatal mishaps. Landing accidents rarely are fatal.
Personally if I’ve gone 90 days without flying I do some circuits/check with an instructor.
The Microlights being disproportionately high is interesting, be good to know if (full-size) accidents also up or if it’s all up on the back of Microlights. I think more pilots have transitioned to things like C42’s as the hours class towards SEP rating but a lot cheaper to fly. This would be good to get more in-depth analysis.
Damn my club has a 28 day currency rule
Delighted to hear the ubiquitous bacon buttie remains a safe option for all aviators!
And it always should be.
Would be interested to see how (serious) accidents stats compare across days not flown since last and that set off against total hours as PIC resp. hours since last bi-annual. Seem to see a lot of people getting their PPL but afterwards don't see or hear from them any more. Just under the physical presence or social media radar? Suddenly realized flying on after their PPL is still/again relatively/quite expensive so they don't fly much afterwards? Lowering landing fees would be a nice start perhaps: why €18-€28 in The Netherlands and only €6-€12 in Germany both for smaller airfields!?! When landings cost less, you are more likely to practice by yourself landings, tango's and go-arounds...
I had a close encounter recently. Returning from Shoreham IFR, routing via the Detling VOR at 3000’ Southend advised us of traffic converging from the East, we were heading north. My L3 Skywatch system pinged up at 1 mile and co altitude. We spotted him just as he banked left away from us, I had started to descend. It wasn’t that close BUT it demonstrates that in limited low altitude airspace and using major navigational waypoints, increases the risk of midair collisions. Offsetting your altitude by a few hundred feet can reduce the risk. So why didn’t i do this? I normally do if I’m this low, but for reasons unbeknown to me I settled at 3000’ and, as we were moments away from the CTA and I had been cleared at that altitude, that’s where I stayed.
This was a lesson learned in the RAF over Kosovo. We were given a new altitude, but one aircraft, a B2, didn’t acknowledge so the flight deck decided to offset by 500’ and they believed that, although we couldn’t see him electronically, (it’s stealth), they knew his routing to the target - similar to our orbit. Perhaps a close call? We will never know.
I think, having been cleared to enter the CTA at 3000, I would have been 3000 at DET. It was just bad luck, but you were given traffic information and based on that, you could have asked for a different cleared level I suppose, or took other action. If you'd been at 2800, or 3200, in this are of the LTMA there aren't too any options for pilots and I don't think there's much in it.
Agreed Jon, but I should have been more proactive. I came down from Cambridge at 3300’ it was complacently probably due to the fact I had two mates and we were full of fish n chips from out run to Brighton.
Just finished my lunch, although you brought back some memories.... please read on.😳😳😲
Great Podcast BTW👍✌️💜😊
GA issues in general? Low hours? Lack of time (cost or health issues)? Stats skewed (GA not liked by authorities and being eroded to meet CCC agenda)? Lots of issues combined? Interesting that issues are worse since Pandemic and illness plus interventions too - those issues are having a bearing on other walks of life too.
Microlight pilots have to have check rides every two years and have to complete 'n' amount of hours each year (albeit relatively low - 12 hours over two years still, I forget now?). Flapless landings are not common training points in the microlight world AFAICT, they should be when there's a big runway to play on, it teaches one better speed management, crucial Eg if there's an issue with the flaps.
I wonder if stressors are also a factor, life is challenging these days, personally, father and I found flying an all encompassing escape, but perhaps others take up earth bound issues with them, loose concentration.
Also as helpful as "flying maps" and other such tech etc is? Looking out of the windows is absolutely key.
I had similar with prawns once - awful food poisoning. Knocked me out for three days! I once worked in food industry and we were made to stay at home for several days too. I'm very careful what I eat out anyway, especially if flying. Foreign/water, washed salads, ice cubes etc, are best avoided when abroad. My parents were warned about bottled water in Thailand too!
I've long pondered - especially with the level of tech these days - if relatively cost effective flight sims should be used more in bad wx etc, for training, or if certified, a level of currency. Okay flight schools like aircraft in the air, but flight sims could be charged accordingly. Even just to teach standard joining patterns, show/demo an unknown airfield etc, before actually flying there. I well recall grey beards (I'm one now) bemoaning flight Sims as not being proper flying (tell that to the modern airlines and air forces!), I've used and enjoyed various levels of sophistication of flight sims since the late 1980s, always found them fun and helpful.
It seems that the best conspicuous device is less common. PowerFlarm should be the standard
Great Podcast. The problem in GA is a double edge sword, cost and regulation. There is regulation on areas which are easy to regulate like medical, administrative policy etc but not enough regulation on the requirements in being importantly ‘current’ and become proficient on the basic flying skill, this only comes with practice. But a good session of practice equals cost.
At a minimum should be, 3 circuits (T&G, FS), 1 Go around, 3 EFATO (High, low, RTO), 2 PFL (from High and Low key positions) and circuit rejoin procedures should be practiced with an instructor. Every 90 days if not min hours flown, or every 180 days of flying regularly. But we all know what would happen to GA if this kind of regulation was a must,
Until conspicuity devices have external antennas to prevent airframe masking they will be unreliable.
It is very difficult to extrapolate the causes, but you certainly have the right ideas.
However, i think when you compare us with GA in the US where they have had 10 fatalities in just 3 days, so i would say we are still much safer here even with those 11 fatalities.
Aircraft ownership per capita in the us is 100x greater than ours. Every town has municiple airport. The number of GA flights is huge and many airports are in the middle of conurbations meaning the chances of a firey landing on a populated area is much much higher. They also regularly fly from airports with density altitudes of >8k ft so that plays an important role.
@dr_jaymz Absolutely correct.
In addition they have to cope with sone crazy weather.
It is all relative but their accident & fatality rate does seem a lot higher than ours
Hi Jon. I check the AAIB monthly reports (have done so for 25+ years) and I have particularly noticed the increasing number of accidents reported where the pilot is 70 and over, the medical requirement has been self-certified and the a/c is self-owned.
Has any detailed analysis of these metrics been conducted?
Hmmm. Was doing flapless low approach and go round this afternoon, on 450m grass R23.
Hmmm. What in?
@@TheFlyingReporter C152. Correctly trimmed for yesterday's 56kts target approach it would have been fine but the first attempt carried way too much energy into the flare at more like 66kts and instructor helped illustrate the 152's legendary ability to float. 🙄
It was a good day for learning as the sun was smack in the eyes for an hour or so, and I learned to deal with the compromised visibility/awareness of the last couple of feet of height above ground by adopting the landing attitude a fraction early and simply waiting for the aircraft to settle.
Someone I know in the village is learning at another airfield with a hard runway 1000+m and doesn't get the same training and practice in short field / grass / tree threshold. To your post on CZcams that makes him more vulnerable if he had to land somewhere like my place.
Thanks for picking up on my comment.
My take on this is that covid changed peoples attitudes towards flying and after the virus people had less money and fly less
People’s hobbies changed and currency just isn’t there
From what iv seen is People taking silly flights at night is the biggest one people forget that a single engine aircraft can still fail and when it does emergency landing it is and if u can’t see where your landing not a good start not to mention people flying over miles of water if that’s emergency landing that’s really not good.1st thing I was taught on my experience lesson was always keep your eyes pealed for a emergency landing incase engine fails
I am not a pilot but surely if Sleaps circuit was the same on all days, it would avoid any issues and as for SkyEcho and Pilot Aware, if you're going to manufacture such a device that is to help prevent mid-air collisions, surely you should make it so they can interact with other brands. I don't know about the different features between the two units, but I see no reason why someone would buy a SkyEcho if they can't pick up a Pilot Aware device signal.
Thanks Lee. SkyEcho has gone for ADSB which is likely to be the final, regulated standard, whereas Pilot Aware opted for a cheaper/home-built solution initially, using their own transmission standard. It's an outcome of those early development stages, where innovators were looking for cheap solutions to this problem.
A radio call to Sleap, a few miles out, to ask for joining instructions, would immediately confirm the runway in use, and the circuit direction. These change from day to day, and sometimes during the day. At this point we should not be relying on alerts from navigation software, but gaining a mental picture of traffic, by a heightened lookout, and circuit calls.
It seems there is a notable aversion to rigour in training these days. Without full and frank debriefs, the outcome in terms of pilot performance is inevitably eroded.
7th like and first comment...hello Jon. happy Landings
water in thai has meloidosis sometimes..incurable often 3000 die a year
One thing that I learned years ago is that when travelling drink fizzy water. You can then be confident that it has been processed.
Why is ga getting worse whilst commercial aviation is getting safer?
AQP!
Pactice the situations that kill safely with an instructor. When it happens for real the mussel memory takes over.
What happened to your shed (studio)?
James was occupying it on the day of recording!
Too many people who cant really afford aviation and as such dont have the funds to do enough hours or enough hours and IR ?
One pretty obvious reason is 'lack of currency' in regard to GA pilot's flying hours. With ever incresing costs affecting every aspect of life today, GA flying as a leisure pursuit has gone the way of many other activities..... less time and money in which to participate. A pilot may know that he/she is getting 'a bit rusty' in certain aspects of flying, and maybe an hour or so with an instructor might be a good idea to polish up on those skills, but hey that's going to cost more money = accident waiting to happen. And by the way I do have some experience in the sphere, held a PPL in the past but sensibly gave up on flying when I couldn't justify the cost to myself. I am also a retired GA engineer, so have mixed with private and club owners for decades..... escalating costs were always a topic of discussion in the clubhouse.
This is so professional. 👍 I think the gastroenteritis is maybe a good news story in disguise, it shows pilots are mitigating most of the other risks, that said something to be aware of. Not that i'm planning to each muscles ever 🤢🤮 I like my food to have 2 or 4 legs, nothing in-between, higher or lower!
I will bear that in mind - should I have you round for dinner!
I suppose 2 legs includes humans!@@TheFlyingReporter
Airspeed , airspeed, airspeed.
These small, private planes crash all the time here in Florida. Poor maintenance and pilot inexperience or arrogance. What bothers me the most is when they kill innocent people on the ground.
This radio station style presentation kind of missed the point of visual platform although the content was good and somewhat informative. Can we please see more actual flying content that you are so good at presenting!
Thank you Alan for the comment - I'm completely aware of this and I'm considering phasing this off CZcams to become a podcast only. It can already be found on your favourite podcasting platform. There is high quality, visual aviation content on the other three weeks of a month here. Just don't have the time or. the money to create this as a more vibrant visual update - although my followers seem to appreciate the information provided.
John...please keep it as it is...I don't have a "favourite podcasting platform"!
Never eat sea food when flying lol !,
The safety of the airplane and everyone on onboard depends on finding someone who knows how to fly and didn’t have fish for dinner
I’m half way through a PPL and seriously thinking about giving up based solely on safety. Can someone tell me I’m a fool and try to persuade me not to?
Your be fine, just take fly seriously, check list, check weather all the time, watch your air speed, your be fine, great hobby
I fly gliders and adore it. Like everything in life, there is risk associated with it.
Part of your PPL should be about recognising risks and determining the best course of action to mitigate them.
As I learned to become a glider pilot ( now over 500 hours P1), I went through all of the stages of fear, panic, and self doubt. My instructors carefully helped me negotiate the process of learning to become a competent pilot and ultimately, how to negotiate everything one needs to know and understand when flying (especially without an engine..!).
Practice and good training will save your life - it has mine.
While flying is risky - whether launching with or without an engine - with training, practice, thoughtful consideration of your most recent flight and learning from others, you can become a safe and happy pilot. Remember to make sure that your head is out of the cockpit, not in.. and if you see glider DDSP (Tail number 270), give me a waggle of your wings to say hi
FYI. I am off to Scotland tomorrow to fly in the mountain wave... aiming for 22k feet... and no engine... but thick socks!!
I think we probably all go through the same feeling at some point in our training. Hopefully your instructor will reassure you, as mine did, by being calm, and professional. There is risk, and I'm sure we will all have a few close shaves - just as I've had close shaves in my car on the motorway etc. If you enjoy it, the benefits outweigh the risks and you'll continue....just as you continue driving, or walking into town, or flying on a commercial aeroplane or riding a rollercoaster etc. Good luck with it.
I had a close call leaving Popham last weekend. We were climbing into the circuit to depart downwind when a PC12, yep a bloody great big thing, descended into the circuit just pass crosswind was we were turning downwind, straight over the top of us, then flew a wide circuit. Choice words were exchanged on the radio between me and the pilot of the PC12. Turns even professional pilots with, I assume, full TCAS can’t see another a/c as they are so focused on landing a fast a/c on a tight circuit with a short runway…..
The ageing certified aircraft fleet, the associated cost and the inflexibility for modifications is making them more dangerous year on year as they approach an average age of 50, which is the exact opposite of the intended effect of certification. The average age of their pilots is also undeniably a factor many having transitioned to a microlight. When I walk arount my airfield the majority of pilots are 60+ overweight crusty old farts. Thats because only they can afford it. If you watch them park at sainsburys you'll see that if they land a plane without breaking it then its only luck and that will always run out.
I'd bet brain damage from COVID is not an insignificant factor
More likely from the vaccine (Just kidding) I think.