Loss of control in flight (LOC-I) was cited as the “dominant causal” factor in the majority of general aviation (GA) accidents in the UK last year, according to the 2017 Annual Safety Review from the UK’s Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). There were 708 occurrence notifications in 2017 and AAIB deployed 38 times to conduct field investigations. In 16 cases, they involved fatal accidents that resulted in 28 deaths. The fatal accidents involved GA aircraft with the “dominant causal factors…being loss of control in flight and weather-related issues.”
The review analyzes 72 general aviation fatal accidents that occurred between 2010 and 2015 to “highlight the most common causes and draw attention to the extensive advice that is available to help pilots avoid the circumstances that all too often lead to accidents.” In sharp contrast to GA statistics, the AAIB reported that 2017 was “notable as a year in which there were no fatal accidents involving a passenger jet airliner anywhere in the world.”
Of the 29 safety recommendations issued in 2017, responses had been received for 21 by the end of last month. The AAIB considered 15 responses “adequate” and closed, five “partially adequate,” and one “not adequate.”
Following the assessment, 16 safety recommendations from 2017 were closed, while 11 remain open. The AAIB is awaiting responses from addressees for five of the open recommendations. Responses have recently been received for two recommendations and were pending AAIB classification.
The review does not break down GA accidents by engine type or purpose of flight. Also, air taxi business jets are not separated from the commercial air transport category. But, according to AIN research, there were no serious or fatal accidents involving business turboprops or jets in the UK last year.