Reports
No Measurable Improvement
Introduction of Glass Cockpit Avionics Into Light Aircraft
U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Safety Study NTSB/SS-01/10; PB2010-917001. March 9, 2010. 87 pp. Figures, tables, appendix.
Thanks to trickle-down technology, new light aircraft have undergone a transition from analog flight instruments to computer screens similar to those on modern transport category aircraft. The “glass cockpit,” in which the electronic displays integrate aircraft control, autopilot, communication, navigation and systems monitoring, represents a significant change for general aviation.
But does the glass cockpit make flying light aircraft — defined here as having a maximum gross weight of 12,500 lb/5,700 kg — safer? So far, no. “The introduction of glass cockpits has not resulted in a measurable improvement in safety when compared to similar aircraft with conventional instruments,” the study says.
The report …
