NTSB has issued a series of general aviation safety alerts
that address the most frequent types of general aviation incidents. According
to the agency, each year, about 475 pilots and passengers are killed and
hundreds more are seriously injured in general aviation incidents in the U.S., putting
general aviation on NTSB’s
most wanted list.
The agency says that in many of the 1,500 incidents it
investigates each year, pilots did not have adequate knowledge, skills or
training to fly safely. An added concern is glass cockpit displays, which
present a new layer of complications for general aviation pilots.
The safety
alerts address low-altitude stalls, spatial disorientation, controlled
flight into terrain, mechanical problems and risk mitigation. NTSB says it
plans to release a video to accompany each alert, featuring air safety investigators
sharing their experiences, observations and advice on how pilots and mechanics
can avoid tragic mistakes.