EAA Sport Aviation - January 2011

THE PROBLEM is that the NTSB and pilots don’t define an aviation accident in the same way, and hundreds of mishaps you or I might call accidents are not counted in the official record. For example: You are landing in a gusty crosswind, and the airplane skids off the runway. The nose wheel is sheared off, the main landing gear is badly damaged, and the propeller chews into the ground. Did you just have an accident? Probably not by NTSB standards.

What if the engine quits cold? Maybe a connecting rod or some other critical component failed without warning. Luckily, you glide to an open field, but the ground is soft and the airplane ends up on its nose. The landing gear, cowling, probably the engine mounts, and the propeller are all destroyed, but you’re not injured. Was that an accident? I doubt it, at least for NTSB records.

What if you forget to lower the landing gear on your twin? The airplane slides to a stop with the flaps destroyed, belly skins and antennas gone, both propellers ruined, and both engines needing complete disassembly for inspection. The damage could easily top $100,000. But, guess what: You didn’t have an accident that will make the books.

SO WHAT COUNTS?

To make the best use of its resources the NTSB limits its analysis of aviation events to those that involve at least a serious injury and “substantial” damage to the aircraft. And the NTSB has specific