EAA Sport Aviation - August 2010

Secondhand
Safety

The importance of transition training

IT’S A COMMON STORY in aviation: A pilot buys a used aircraft and figures no checkout or transition training is necessary. He thinks, “If the builder (or previous owner) can fly it, I can fly it!” But sometimes the story ends in a crashed airplane and a humbled owner.

How often does that actually happen?

We did some investigation into that phenomenon in home-built aircraft, and here’s what we found. After establishing a process to identify accident aircraft flown by the builder/first owner versus secondhand owners, and using my 1998-2007 homebuilt accident database gleaned from the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) accident records, I ended up designating 773 of the 2, 112 homebuilt accidents recorded in that time period as purchased homebuilts.

Plotting the percentage of accidents versus pilot time-in-type led to a bit of a surprise: Nearly 20 percent of the accidents that occur to purchasers of completed aircraft happen in the first five hours—versus about 13 percent for those who build the aircraft.

It’s rather incredible when you think about it. The flying skills for the builder flying his homebuilt have to be just as sharp as the next owner, plus in his first five hours he has to contend with untested machinery and a higher incidence of mechanical failure. About 95 percent of purchased homebuilts have 40 or more flight hours logged when sold, meaning they have been released from their Phase 1 limitations. Despite that,

Percentages of Accidents Hours Flown in Aircraft Type

Buyer Builder

13.5%

19.5%

5-10 Hrs.

Buyer Builder

5.5%

7.5%

10-15

Hrs.

Buyer Builder

4.25% 4.15%

purchasers have a higher initial accident rate. The accident rates merge at the 10 to 15 hours point, but the “second owner” rate once again climbs above the builder rate for the next 25 hours, not matching again until the 40-hour mark.

The reasons for the higher accident rate in the 15 to 40 hour range? Fuel exhaustion, maintenance issues, and, interestingly enough, “maneuvering at low altitude.” Only one builder-flown homebuilt had an accident due to the last category, versus nine “second owner” homebuilts, half of which involved low-level aerobatics. Experimental amateur-built airplanes do not meet federal standards; it says so right on the warning placard the FAA requires we install. This means these planes aren’t going to fly like a typical Cessna or Piper, and anyone who climbs into one thinking it’ll fly “normally” might be—and too often is—in for a shock.

While a builder may have years to contemplate the first flight and probably is networked with other owners of the same model of plane, someone who buys a completed homebuilt doesn’t have these advantages.

Are you contemplating buying a completed homebuilt? Keep in mind that its handling qualities may be different than the aircraft you are currently flying. Don’t push the envelope; take the time to learn the airplane. Your local EAA flight advisor ( www.EAA.org/FlightAdvisors) will be more than happy to help you get ready for your new steed.