This list of accidents and incidents involving general aviation is grouped by the years in which the accidents or incidents occurred. "General aviation" here includes private as well as corporate aircraft operating under general aviation rules,[note A] i.e. not flights of airliners, commuter or military aircraft.
Overall, this is an incomplete listing, but is intended to be a complete listing of notable accidents and incidents with Wikipedia articles and those involving notable persons with Wikipedia articles. For more exhaustive lists, see the Crash Record Office[1] or the Aviation Safety Network.[2]
Main article: Transportation safety in the United States |
The number of deaths per passenger-mile on commercial airlines in the United States between 2000 and 2010 was about 0.2 deaths per 10 billion passenger-miles.[3][4] For driving, the rate was 150 per 10 billion vehicle-miles for 2000 : 750 times higher per mile than for flying in a commercial airplane.
Main article: General aviation in Europe |
About three accidents per day are reported in Europe. As the reporting of every GA accident and incident is not mandatory everywhere, these figures may be higher. However, most major accidents are likely to be reflected due to involvement of outside authorities. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the national civil aviation authorities support and encourage the collection of light aircraft accident data in order to provide more in-depth statistics and analysis.
In the UK, there were 27 fatal accidents involving GA aircraft in 2007, resulting in the loss of 48 lives. This compares with 16 accidents claiming a total of 19 lives the previous year, and although the 2007 statistics are higher than average, they are not exceptional.[5]
In 2018, 12 persons were killed in general aviation accidents involving EU-registered aircraft with a MTOM above 2250 kg, an increase of around 70 % compared to the previous year where 7 fatalities were recorded. Since 2006, it is only the second time that more than 10 fatalities were registered from accidents on EU territory involving such large aircraft registered in the EU. In 2013, there were 11 fatalities registered in such accidents.
For light general aviation, i.e. involving aircraft under 2250 kg MTOM, 159 persons lost their lives in accidents with EU-registered aircraft within the EU-28 territory in 2018. This category includes, in addition to smaller aeroplanes, balloons, dirigibles, para- and motorgliders, microlights and small helicopters. EASA’s Annual Safety Review notes that most fatalities occur in accidents with small aeroplanes (especially during the landing phase) and gliders.
— EASA