Bonanza down at Long Island Airport

[Pinecone]

I’m getting to the point of wondering if I want to stay in the game anymore. Too many small planes going down it seems.

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Rate of crashes per flying hours has been pretty constant for over 10 years.

 

[brcase]

Nah, thats just perception. Its always been this bloody. Landlady late husband perished on a botched go around in a bonanza almost 30 years ago, while she waited for him at the terminal. Same MO and general demographics as always have been.

If you severely limit the weather profile, don't fly at night, and exercise max schedule flexibility, It's not that bad, other than the engine clapping out on ya one day, which it will of you stay in the hobby long enough.

That is my take on it, and the numbers I have been able glean from various sources tend to back it up.
Way more total motorcycle and car accident accidents/deaths than airplanes they just don't make the news.

But hour for hour....

Single engine airplane = Motorcycles (i.e. one hour in an airplane has about the same accident rate as one hour on a motorcycle)
Single engine airplane in good weather and operating above 1000 ft = passenger car.

 

[Ed Haywood]

I know 5 pilots that have experience an engine failure, and every one of them walked away. I'm one of the 5. Every one of them flies GA regularly.

Add me to the list. I was flying a couple hours later.

It has caused me to rethink my risk tolerance on terrain and weather. No more night flights over cypress swamps.

OTOH, having experienced how fast everything happens, I have new appreciation for how difficult a loss of power on departure would be. There would be zero time to think, analyze, or troubleshoot. Just decide and act.

No way would I attempt to turn back under pattern altitude, unless the options in front of me or to the side were terrible. Would much rather use that altitude and time to pick a soft spot and set up to arrive at minimal airspeed with wings level.

 

[Jdm]

It does seem like a lot. I’ve been in the business 37 years. Employed as either an A&P or commercial pilot during that span. If I’m counting correctly I’ve lost 6 friends to GA accidents. 4 crashes, 6 friends.
Three of the aircraft were very well kept high performance types. Poor weather + Mx abnormal. Poor weather + fatigue. Poor weather + improper supplemental procedure.
The other was an experimental POS that my best friend went for a ride in. Nothing against experimental, just a fact in this case. And there’s a few others where I knew someone indirectly, or met during business. Those were a result of student pilot + routine abnormal and willful noncompliance or recklessness.
Seems rather excessive looking back.
I’ve known maybe 2 people ever that died in auto accidents.