Accident rates for small private planes versus larger commercail aircraft

[rotornut]

My journalist friend is proposing an article in a national news magazine comparing the accident rates of small aircraft flown by private pilots against larger commercial aircraft. Can anyone tell me where I can get such information? Canadian statistics would be the most desirable but I'm sure they are about the same everywhere.

[Daysleeper]

For the UK the data you need is published by the CAA, though it's not done every year

The latest is the 2008 study here (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP780.pdf)

The previous one was the ten year study in CAP 763 (1995-2004) Here (http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=33&pagetype=65&appid=11&mode=detail&id=2393)


Also look here (http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=2030&pagetype=90) for the CAA stats on key safety performance indicators.

Someone else will hopefully point to similar stuff from Canada.

[rotornut]

Thank you Daysleeper, that is a really good place to start. I will have a good look at the stats and pass them on to my friend.

[MarkerInbound]

In the US, the AOPA publishes their "Nall Report" covering GA accidents. The NTSB publishes all accident and incident reports and you can filter them by part 121 and 91.

[Karl Bamforth]

Wouldn't it be a bit like comparing apples and oranges ?

[rotornut]

Yes, exactly. The point my friend wants to make is that there is a significant gap in the level of skill between private and professional pilots. She is inspired to do this because she had a friend who flew a floatplane that crashed about a year ago.

[barit1]

Might as well compare accident rates between private autos driven by non-professional drivers, to commercial vehicles driven by pros.

Likewise pleasure boats vs commercial vessels.
:=

[Tinstaafl]

Compare chalk & cheese instead. It'll be just as illuminating as comparing private to commercial operations. And what sort of commercial ops? Jet scheduled airline? Turboprop scheduled? Piston? Non-scheduled public transport? Aerial work & other utility type operations?

The regulations are different, the equipment philosophy is worlds apart, ground support requirements are different, aerodrome requirements aren' t the same, even airspace requirements can vary. Just comparing accidents vs pilot licences isn't worth the processor cycles in the spreadsheet unless you can control for all the other variables too.

[Jabiman]

The other major factor which would be very difficult to account for are take offs and landings which are the most hazardous time of any flight.
The airlines have a lot of hours with long journeys but GA has a much higher ratio of takeoffs/landings compared to hours flown.

[rotornut]

Good points - I'll pass this thread along to my friend and she can sort it out.

[fdcg27]

One well known American aviation writer equated the hazard level of owner/pilot operations to that of motorcycle riding.
If you are a private pilot, you are subject to few of the regulatory safeguards that airline flying must adhear to.
You can, within very broad limits, do pretty much as you please.
You also operate aircraft that lack the redundancy of airliners, and you probably won't have anything like the experience in flying that the typical ATP has, although the fellow who wrote the private flying versus motorcycle riding comment has more hours in GA aircraft than most airline captains will ever see.
Your friend seeks to compare two things which should not be compared.
GA flying is far more dangerous than riding in the back of a tube, but it also offers a level of satisfaction and utility that the tube cannot match.
You can get from here to there in your Cessna, while the airlines often make the trip difficult and indirect.
If you are willing to accept the responsibility, and avoid exposing yourself to excess hazards, GA flying can be pretty safe.
Sadly, many have launched or pressed on when they shouldn't have, but it was their decision.