englishal:
The biggest cause of fatal commercial/air carrier accidents is CFIT (sources NTSB database & Flight Safety Foundation).
For GA other than above it seems 17% of fatalities in GA are from CFIT (FAA web site). If you read the reports from NTSB & TSB they can be difficult to separate loss of control (commonest cause of fatalities -FAA again), from CFIT unless the wreckage & damage paths are clear. Both have in common the fact that they occur when pilots fly unplanned into IMC. Weather is cited as the commonest identifiable factor in lethal accidents (FAA, TSB).
For 75 Hour PPLs which way you get into the ground may be academic and there certainly is room in the data to argue over which final path these individuals take into their smoking holes.
The main message I was trying to get over has been made - Stay out of cloud unless you have the necessary current experience & training.
Rgds
CB
edited 'cos I found some actual figures
[ 28 November 2001: Message edited by: Code Blue ]