Fatal weather-related general aviation accidents in the United States

Abstract General, or private and non-commercial, aviation accidents produce more fatalities than any other aviation category within the United States. Despite advances in scientific understanding and technology since the early 1900s, weather causes concern for aviation safety, and little is known about the characteristics of fatal weather-related general aviation accidents. We provide a comprehensive spatiotemporal analysis of fatal weather-related general aviation accidents from 1982 through 2013 using data culled from the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Weather was a cause or contributing factor in 35% of fatal general aviation accidents, of which 60% occurred while instrument meteorological conditions were present. Fatal weather-related general aviation accidents occur most frequently between October and April, on weekends, in early morning and evening periods, and along the West Coast, Colorado Rockies, Appalachian Mountains, and the Northeast. There has been a long-term reduction in weather-related general aviation accidents and fatalities since the 1980s; nonetheless, these accidents are still responsible for nearly 100 fatalities/year in the United States. This study provides pilots, academics, the Federal Aviation Administration, the NTSB, and other aviation organizations with information to advance mitigation efforts aimed at reducing future aviation-related accidents in the United States.