Although data are not yet final, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says that the 2017 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, is likely to be the safest year on record for general aviation (GA).
The fatal accident rate is declining under a 10-year program that began in 2009, with the goal of reducing fatal GA accidents by 10 percent before the end of fiscal 2018, which began Oct. 1. The FAA said the rate for fiscal 2017 is not yet available but noted that 209 fatal GA accidents were recorded, with 347 associated fatalities.
“We’re pleased with where general aviation safety is headed,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a speech Tuesday to the fifth annual General Aviation Safety Summit. “It looks like 2017 will end up being our safety year yet. Working together with industry to meaningfully address safety is making a difference.”
Huerta said that increased safety will benefit from regulatory, technological and educational efforts, such as changes in Fed…
