Safety Engineering and Analysis Applied to
Reducing Experimental Amateur-Built (E-AB)
Aircraft Accident Rates
By
L. D. Stevenson
January 21, 2012
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A Little History
George W and Aviation
Soloflights.com
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Experimental Amateur-Built Aircraft
 Introduction
 Early Experimental AmateurBuilt (E-AB) Aircraft
 Certification
 Construction and Testing
 Safety
 Conclusions
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Early Amateur-Built Aircraft History –
In the Beginning…,.
1903
 First US amateur-built aircraft to fly 1903
 No government regulation or oversight
– Far “cry” from today
 Many aircraft built as one of a kind
aircraft
 Built by individuals or small teams
The Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk
(National Air and Space Museum website, 2009)
1908 – First major aircraft accident
Ft. Meyer, Va
Killed 2Lt Thomas E. Selfridge
Buried at Arlington
Selfridge Air Force Base
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(check-six .com, 2009)
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Post World War II
1941 – 1947 – No amateur-built aircraft
allowed
1947 - CAA designates all amateur-built
aircraft before WWII in
category “X” – must recertify
every 6 months
1952 – first experimental amateur-built
category
1953 – Experimental Aircraft Association
(EAA) founded
1964 – Granted authorization for
aerobatics
1966 – Granted first IFR operations
~1970 – First kits offered
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Certification
Builder certifies the aircraft through the FAA at the end of the building
process…..Basically a paperwork process
No detailed stringent requirements as in Part 23 certification process for
manufactured aircraft similar to C-172, Beechcraft, etc
.
E-AB aircraft can not be used for commercial or fly for hire activities
Builder free to make adjustments, design changes, modifications
Builder SHOULD consult knowledgeable sources to ensure safety
That’s – Should - but there is no requirement
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Certification – Continued
Advisory Circular 20-27G –
Builder takes on the risk to ensure changes are prudent and
safe
Responsibility for final outcome rests with the builder
Many sources available to help the builder with building process
Internet, EAA, classes, schools
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Construction and Testing
Information comes from many sources – Generally not the FAA
First stop - kit/plans manufacturer
Other builders & EAA Technical Counselors
Internet
Kit Airplanes
Buy the whole enchilada
Buy in stages –
Tail, wings, fuselage, etc.
QuickBuild Kits
Plans
(Vansaircraft.com, 2009)
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Construction and Testing - Continued
Design, building, and mods have become much more
standardized
Must have detailed records or logs of your work
51% rule – the builder must build 51% of the airplane
FAA likes to see records of EAA technical counselor visits
Flight testing
Occurs after FAA certifies aircraft airworthiness
Must fly up to 40 hours in the flight test program
No passengers allowed
Flight test must show:
Aircraft controllable at normal speeds & during all
expected flight maneuvers
No hazardous operating characteristics
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Safety
If built and operated within design limits
Safety generally not a problem
5% of all accidents attributed to builder
error
22% of first flight accidents linked to
builder error
42.7% of first flight accidents linked to
pilot error
Article by Ron
Wanttaja
Overall accident rate comparable to
Part 23 aircraft in similar operations
Auto engines and two stoke engines
Significantly higher accident rates
More complicated cooling, and ignition
systems (no redundancy), power
transfer units
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SAFETY - Continued
 Statistically –
– 1 in 115 amateur-built aircraft will crash in any given
year (2007)
– 1 in 149 certificated aircraft will crash in any given year
(2007)
 Accident rates are comparable
– Even though amateur-built aircraft are:
 Designed and built by amateurs
 Generally maintained by amateurs
 Many powered by amateur auto engine conversions
– Major cause of accidents – still pilot error with no
relationship to the building process
 This shows how well overall most amateur-built
aircraft are constructed and flown
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E-AB Fatal Accidents 2000 - 2009
 Capstone Paper
– Study of Fixed Wing Experimental Amateur-Built (E-AB)
Aircraft Fatal Accidents in the US for Calendar Years
2000-2009
– Looking for a correlation between pilot’s total flight time
and flight time in make & model of fatal accident
airplane
 Very low correlation found between the two times
 Focused on Make and Model flight time
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E-AB Fatal accidents – 2000 through 2009
Total Hours in
Make and Model
Number of Fatal
Accidents that
Occurred Within
the Make and
Model Hour
Range Indicated
Percentage of
Fatal Accidents
Within the Make
and Model Hour
Range Indicated
0 to 50
51 to 100
101 to 150
151 to 200
201 to 250
251 to 300
301 to 350
351 to 400
401 to 450
451 to 500
501 to 550
551 to 600
650 to 2000
114
39
27
6
20
6
0
2
3
1
4
2
7
49.3506%
16.8831%
11.6883%
2.5974%
8.6580%
2.5974%
0.0000%
0.8658%
1.2987%
0.4329%
1.7316%
0.8658%
3.0303%
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E-AB aircraft fatal Accidents for Each Fifty (50)
Hours of Make and Model Flight Time Years
2000-2009
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Lower the Accident Rate!
 FAA to EAA – Lower E-AB accident rates
– EAA currently focusing on a web based survey
of E-AB builders & pilots – Results in 2012
 EAA better to do this than FAA
 Pilots/builders are more open to giving feedback to
EAA
 Most pilots perceive the FAA might use your inputs
against you
– A multi year trend of more accidents per year
needs to be reversed
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Changing Accident Trends
 How do we change the E-AB accident trends?
 From Bahr Textbook –
 “The primary method of preventing accidents is through a
comprehensive & systematic approach to safety management. The
most cost effective way to control risks is to implement a
comprehensive system safety program throughout the product or
system life cycle – Cradle to Grave.”
– Cooperation and coordinated implementation
between: FAA, EAA, AOPA, NTSB, and kit/plans
manufactures
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Safety Change Examples
 Ellington Field (EFD) Aero Club, Houston, Tx
– Towered airport with very diverse aircraft population
 Problem – low time non-proficient pilots in ground and
tower operations
 Frequent disregard for taxi and takeoff procedures – tower
personnel aren’t happy
 Club mgt, pilots, and twr personnel met to discuss
problems
 Results
– Ground school classes on towered airport procedures taught by
tower controller
– Pilots required to visit tower to observe operations
– Infraction dropped to almost zero – Much improved safety
environment
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Safety Change Examples
 Two club aircraft accidents due to crosswinds
– Both pilots not proficient in crosswind landings
– Neither pilot had ever demonstrated cross wind
proficiency even on their check rides
– No requirement for proficiency during a/c checkout
– Check out in higher performance a/c allows pilot to fly
lower performance a/c without add’l checkout
– Now What?
 Implemented crosswind proficiency for checkout
 Higher performance checkout OK for more experienced pilots,
but not for inexperienced pilots
– Results
 Much better accident/incident statistics
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Safety Change Examples
 Where I work
– Many minor accidents with minor injuries
 What can we do to reverse the trend?
– GM backs into wife’s car - and think’s
 “Wish I had those five seconds back”
– Think 5 is born – “Think 5 (ahead)”
 Implemented by management team
 Fully embraced by employees
– Result – Zero accidents – Safety focused
culture
– Think 5 upgraded : Think 5…There is no rewind
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Conclusions
 To improve E-AB safety
– Education – get the information “out there”
 Seminars, online information, classes
 Review of accident reports
– Increased flight proficiency
– Apply common sense
– Additional dual instruction
– Attitude upset training
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Conclusions
 FAA is involved as it wants to be
– Currently the FARs with Advisory Circulars provide adequate guidance
 This is my conclusion (from this research)
 Builders to whom I talked agree
 Sufficient resources are available (not necessarily through the FAA) to
build a very safe aircraft
– Examples
 http://www.vansairforce.net
– One stop shop for RV’s
 http://www.eaa.org/homebuilt
 Magazines – Kitplanes
 FAA is more involved in overall enforcement and safety
– Kit 51% rule as an example
 Overall the FAA/EAA “partnership” and other sources are more than
adequate to ensure the final product is a safe airplane –
 In the end…..the builder/pilot is the key
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Questions??
adamsrv8.com/RV-8_Gallery.html
Dyke Delta JD-2
Lancair IV-P
http://rts-services.com/Schaefer/LancAir/
http://www.ultralightnews.com/ulbg2/images/kitfox-4.jpg
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