Research papers

33rd Joseph T. Nall Report — General Aviation Accidents in 2022

The annual Joseph T. Nall Report from the AOPA Air Safety Institute summarizes general aviation accidents and causal factors for calendar year 2022.

32nd Joseph T. Nall Report — General Aviation Accidents in 2021

32nd annual Nall Report covering U.S. general aviation accident statistics for 2021. Documents a continued reduction in fixed-wing GA fatal accident rates and persistent risk concentration in maneuvering flight, takeoff/…

Safety Advisor: Fuel Awareness

AOPA Air Safety Institute safety advisor on preventing fuel-exhaustion and fuel-starvation accidents in general aviation. Covers pre-flight fuel planning, reserve requirements (14 CFR 91.151, 91.167), tank-management on …

31st Joseph T. Nall Report — General Aviation Accidents in 2020

31st annual Nall Report covering U.S. general aviation accidents for 2020 — the COVID-disrupted year. Examines how reduced commercial activity and shifted flight mixes affected the GA accident profile, with continued LOC…

Safety Advisor: Spatial Disorientation

Safety advisor on the perceptual illusions that cause spatial disorientation: the leans, graveyard spiral, somatogravic and somatogyral illusions, false horizon, and Coriolis.

Accident Case Study: Time Out

Long-form accident case study reconstructing a fatal VFR-into-IMC GA accident. Examines pilot decision-making during the deteriorating-weather phase, ATC interactions, and the cognitive triggers that override go/no-go di…

Accident Case Study: Shaken

Accident case study on a runway-loss-of-control event at a non-towered airport. Reconstructs wind conditions, gust factor, and crosswind technique decision tree. Discusses go-around criteria for unstable approaches.

Safety Advisor: Mountain Flying

Safety advisor on mountain flying technique: density altitude effects on takeoff and climb performance, downdraft and mountain-wave avoidance, canyon-turn technique, and route-planning for terrain clearance.

Safety Advisor: Aircraft Icing

Safety advisor on in-flight airframe icing in piston GA aircraft. Covers icing physics, identification of structural vs induction vs carb ice, escape strategies (climb / descend / 180), use of weather products to forecas…

Accident Case Study: Buyers Remorse

Accident case study on a low-time owner of a high-performance aircraft encountering an in-flight emergency. Examines transition training adequacy, pilot proficiency, and the role of insurance-mandated training in matchin…

Safety Advisor: Emergency Procedures

Safety advisor on emergency-handling: engine failure on takeoff vs cruise vs approach, partial power loss, electrical failure, smoke/fire, gear malfunction, and forced-landing technique.

Loss of Control In-Flight in General Aviation: An Industry Analysis

ASI industry analysis of loss-of-control-inflight (LOC-I) as the leading fatal-accident category in GA. Decomposes LOC-I by phase of flight, pilot certificate, weather, and aircraft category.

GA Fatal Accidents — A Closer Look at Personal Flying

ASI report on fatal accidents in the personal-use category. Personal flying accounts for the overwhelming majority of fatal GA accidents — this report analyzes the demographic, operational, and equipment differences betw…