Title: Factors contributing to fatalities in General Aviation accidents

Authors: Massoud Bazargan, Vitaly S. Guzhva

Addresses: College of Business, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, 600 S. Clyde–Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114, USA. ' College of Business, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, 600 S. Clyde–Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114, USA

Abstract: According to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), General Aviation (GA) is accountable for 82% of total air transport related accidents and incidents and for 83% of all air transport related fatalities. By applying logistic regression on a large sample of GA accidents from 1983 to 2002 we identify factors that increase the chance of a fatal GA accident. In this study a wide range of variables such as light condition, flight phase, pilot|s experience, pilot|s gender, wind condition and aircraft characteristics and complexity involved in the accident are analysed. While many factors that identified as contributing to a fatal accident are in line with expectations, some of them are counter-intuitive.

Keywords: fatal accidents; air transport; logistic regression; fatalities; general aviation; light conditions; flight phase; pilot experience; pilot gender; wind conditions; aircraft characteristics; complexity.

DOI: 10.1504/WRITR.2007.013949

World Review of Intermodal Transportation Research, 2007 Vol.1 No.2, pp.170 - 182

Published online: 04 Jun 2007 *

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