France saw a notable decrease in the number of general aviation fatalities last year versus 2014. Notably, there were no fatal accidents in either 2014 or 2015 involving business jets in France.
According to the 2015 Annual Report recently published by the country’s accident investigation bureau, the BEA, there were 10 fatal accidents last year versus 14 in 2014, 13 in 2013 and five in 2012—an 11-per-year average from 2012 to 2014.
There were 17 general aviation fatalities in 2015 compared to 22 in 2014, 31 in 2013 and seven in 2012—a 20-per-year average between 2012 and 2014.
Meanwhile, the BEA has implemented a new policy that responds to requests expressed by numerous organizations, including user associations, for general aviation accident investigations. It is intended to prioritize handling of the most serious events, which are the most instructive. Thus, the investigative procedures for minor mishaps (mainly damage-only events) have been simplified to allow resources to be freed up for investigations into fatal accidents.