The FAA remains focused on a multi-pronged effort to curb loss-of-control crashes as the general aviation fatal accident rate has remained stubbornly flat, said FAA deputy Administrator Mike Whitaker. The accident rate has remained at between 1.2 and 1.3 fatal accidents per 100,000 hours since the late 1990s. Jens Hennig, vice president of operations for GAMA, who co-chairs the GA Joint Steering Committee's (JSC) safety analysis team, noted there was “a solid improvement in 2013,” when the number of fatal accidents fell to 221. However, that number crept back up to 251 last year.

Whitaker recently met with industry leaders at a GA Safety Summit to discuss the leading factors driving the GA fatal accident rate and potential means to address those factors. Loss of control (LOC) continues to lead the causes of fatal accidents, he said, noting LOC is on the NTSB's "Most Wanted" list of needed safety improvements. But, he added, “I’m encouraged by the discussions we had around how we can reduce risk in general aviation.” Whitaker pointed to efforts by the GA JSC to use data analysis to work on the primary causes of GA accidents. “It was clear from the meeting that there are a lot of innovations and technologies in the GA industry that can make a difference,“ he said. 

Whitaker noted that angle-of-attack indicators have become increasingly affordable since the FAA simplified design requirements last year. In concert with industry, the agency launched a Fly Safely campaign last month warning about LOC factors and providing resources for addressing them.