NTSB data · 2008–present

Every fatal GA accident has a lesson. We make them impossible to ignore.

We analyze the National Transportation Safety Board's accident records to show what led up to each crash, why it happened, and the specific decisions that could have broken the chain — so you don't repeat them.

3,421

Fatal accidents analyzed

5,780

Lives lost

Recurring failure modes

Try the Go / No-Go tool Browse the accidents Risk by experience

The recurring killers

How fatal GA accidents happen

Click a category to study every accident of that type.

753

Loss of Control in Flight

In-flight loss of aircraft control from a variety of causes — the single largest category of fatal GA accidents.

498

VFR into IMC

Visual-rules flights that pressed on into instrument conditions — the deadliest decision in general aviation, and one that experience does not reliably prevent.

378

Undetermined

Accidents where the cause could not be established — often because the aircraft or occupants were never recovered.

333

Mechanical & Engine Failure

Powerplant failures, part separations, and system malfunctions — and the choices pilots make in the seconds that follow.

326

Low-Altitude Maneuvering

Buzzing, canyon flying, and aggressive low passes that leave no margin when something goes wrong.

295

Fuel Exhaustion & Starvation

Running tanks dry, or failing to feed usable fuel to a running engine — almost entirely preventable with planning and fuel discipline.

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The question everyone asks

Are low-time pilots really the most at risk?

Fatal fixed-wing Part 91 accidents by pilot total flight hours (3,001 with hours on record):

0–50 hrs 77

50–100 hrs 77

100–150 hrs 102

150–250 hrs 195

250–350 hrs 193

350–500 hrs 204

500–1,000 hrs 509

1,000–2,000 hrs 554

2,000–5,000 hrs 538

5,000+ hrs 552

These are raw counts — and raw counts mislead. High-time pilots fly far more hours, so they appear in more accidents without necessarily being at higher risk per hour. The honest answer requires dividing by exposure (active pilots and hours flown in each band). That exposure-normalized analysis is in progress — see the methodology.

In depth

Featured analyses

Full breakdowns: what led to it, and how to break the chain.

Stall / Spin 1 fatal

PIPER PA-18-150

McGrath, AK · August 31, 2024
Pilot: 4,269 hrs total

VFR into IMC 3 fatal

BEECH A35

Gustavus, AK · July 20, 2024
Pilot: 28,309 hrs total

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Latest accidents

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Undetermined 1 fatal