AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2016 - 104

NEWS & NOTES 
AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE

AOPA FOUNDATION

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The 'Nall' turns 25
The report brings welcome news
FOR A QUARTER CENTURY, the AOPA Air
Safety Institute (ASI) has reviewed general
aviation accidents to determine trends and
identify needed safety improvements. The
cornerstone guiding this effort is the Joseph
T. Nall Report-dedicated to the memory of
Joe Nall, a National Transportation Safety
Board member who died in an airplane accident in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1989.
Celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary, the report brings welcome news: A
12-percent drop in the rate of noncommercial fixed-wing accidents in 2013 included
an 18-percent decrease in the fatal accident rate. Its accompanying 2014-2015 GA
Accident Scorecard shows that this was not
a fluke: The improvement was maintained
in 2014, and 2015's numbers look promising. 
The GA industry views the Nall as "the
book" on GA safety analysis, and a critical
tool to measure trends and develop safety

programs in response. For example, based
on findings that unintended stalls and
accidents during takeoffs, landings, and
go-arounds are the biggest contributors
to the overall accident statistics, ASI has
responded with safety programs to help prevent these situations from developing in the
first place (www.airsafetyinstitute.org).
But, how does ASI analyze complex
NTSB data and turn it into the Nall? AOPA
Air Safety Institute Statistician David Jack
Kenny explains what goes into crunching
the numbers and reviewing the accident
trends and accident rates per hours flown.
"We extract the data: 10 years' worth,
ending in the year under analysis. We determine which foreign accidents qualify for
inclusion-flights originating in or intended
to end in U.S. airspace. We then cross-check
the data for validity and consistency before
it's exported for analysis," says Kenny.

Don't take it for granted
Recognize complacency's red flags
PERFORMING THE SAME TASKS

in the same way may lead us
to overlook things we take for
granted. Enter what should
have been a routine flight the
night of November 23, 2011:
On board the Rockwell 690
Aero Commander were three
adults and three children-all
lost their lives when the twinengine airplane hit terrain in
the Superstition Mountains
outside Phoenix, Arizona.
In Accident Case Study:
Unintended Consequences, ASI
looks at what led to the tragedy and how it may have been
prevented. The case study
104 | AOPA PILOT October 2016

reminds us to use tools like
terrain awareness technology,
departure procedures, and
ATC flight following service
when flying at night.
Please share this video so
others may avoid a similar mishap (www.airsafetyinstitute.
org/acs/consequences).
Video brought to you by
AOPA Insurance.

Flight-activity estimates compiled from
the results of the FAA's annual GA activity
survey allow Kenny and his team to adjust
accident numbers for the amount of exposure. "Additional investigation fills in details
for areas of particular interest, and compiles
tallies of unusual accident types-for example, midairs. Finally, we write the narrative,
including case studies," Kenny says. Three
rounds of editing and proofreading assure
that the report is accurate and informative.
Download the Nall and its accompanying Score Card, and take the two-minute
reader survey to let us know what you think
(www.airsafetyinstitute.org/nall).

ASI SEMINAR: TRIVIA NIGHT!

Visit the website (www.airsafetyinstitute.org/seminars)
for dates and locations near you. Icons identify if it's a
fly-in or unique aviation location.

BERNOULLI OR NEWTON?
UNDERSTANDING AERODYNAMIC PRINCIPLES involving
maneuvering flight doesn't mean reciting dry textbooks and
dense equations. You want to fly the airplane, not design it-
but you also want to grasp Bernoulli's and Newton's laws.
Review ASI's recently updated Essential Aerodynamics:
Stalls, Spins, and Safety online course and learn what
defines critical angle of attack and why an airplane can stall
at any airspeed and attitude. The course is optimized for
tablet applications, so stop when needed and pick up where
you left off to complete the quiz, get your certificate of
completion, and
earn Wings credit
(www.airsafety
institute.org/
aerodynamics).
From the Aviation
Education
Foundation.
http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/nall http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/seminars http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/ http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/ http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/acs/consequences http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/acs/consequences
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2016
