Accident Frequency
1. Improper use of flight controls/brakes on the ground
2. Improper level off: landing flare
3. Failure to avoid objects in air/on ground
4. Failure to maintain flying speed
5. Operations to/from/on unsuitable terrain

Causes:
1. The skill level available was insufficient to maintain control.
2. A casual attitude toward safety.
3. Acceptance of non-precise control.
4. Unwilling to devote resources to improvement.

Order of Flying Accident Likelihood
First Third
1. Air contamination of fuel tanks
2. Loss of visual reference
3. Flight close to ground
4. Collusion between aircraft (VFR)
5. Fuel aboard but not getting to engine

Second Third
1. VFR into IFR with poor approach procedure
2. VFR into IFR stall/spin in pattern
3. VFR into IFR flying into ground in weather
4. VFR into IFR loss of control on takeoff in weather
5. Loss of control in weather

Third Third
1. Turbulence
2. VFR into IFR situational awareness
3. VFR into IFR instrument failure
4. Night collusion with ground
5. VFR into IFR failure of static system

Every pilot should have a personal anti-accident program consisting of maintaining proficiency by flying on a regular basis. Know and follow the rules that have been built on a history of aviation accidents. Know the minimum and maximum performance limits of your aircraft. Don't take a risk that you don't need to take. Study the literature.

Controlled Accidents
The pilot who makes a precautionary landing in lieu of a forced landing has reduced the statistical fatality rate by a factor of 1,600. You have twice as much chance of survival in a forced landing on land as opposed to ditching. A controlled flight into terrain where the major objective is to preserve life over aircraft has the best chance of doing both. The structure of an aircraft is designed to preserve cockpit integrity. People will survive inside the cockpit if they are properly secured. Bouncing inside the cockpit kills.

A secured pilot or passenger can survive a 9-G impact. An aircraft that slides just the width of a street before stopping is survivable. Avoiding anything before hitting the ground under control is a high priority. Try to be on the ground before hitting anything. Once on the ground you will have little say as to what happens. It is best not to flip over, to crunch aircraft parts in absorption of impact, and to have pre-planned fire prevention and door opening.

When Everything Stops
One area of every accident situation is most often never planned for but should be. It is, what to do after everything stops moving.
Get out and move to the rear from the aircraft.
1. Do whatever will reduce/prevent further injury.
2. Quickest possible medical aid.
3. Contact authorities, local and FAA
4. Care and preservation of aircraft.

Common Causes of Accidents
--Failure to maintain flying speed
--Poor planning
--Improper flare on landing
--Failure to go-around
--CFIT
--Fuel management
--Miss-judgment of distance or speed
--Unsuitable terrain selection
--Incorrect control operation
--Failure to control the controllable

Common Elements of All Accidents
--Failure of the PIC to use his command position.
--Inability to select viable options due to distraction.
--Focus on minor aspect dilutes watchfulness of all aspects.
--Improper or failure to use cockpit resources.
--Unwillingness to use all resources.
--Insufficient use of communication
--Inappropriate reactions to the unexpected.
--Training that left the pilot unprepared for reality.
--Safe is not the same as risk free. A pretzel can kill.
--Use or non-use of flaps has never been a major factor of an accident
--Because of effect on glide, gear position and propeller pitch make a difference in glide distance.
--There are at least fifteen system factors that make for aircraft problems leading to accidents.
--Studies have shown that an accident can have as many as twenty events having a direct responsibility
--Every accident has a first occurrence
--Every accident has a lesson that can be learned anew what should have been learned before.
--The little things make a big difference in complex aircraft.
--In any accident-chain of events you must know where you are in the chain in order to break it.
--The FAA/NTSB always get to Second Guess everything you do.

Maneuvering Accident Situations
---Target fixation is the over-riding cause of maneuvering accidents
---Target fixation causes pilot to wait too long to change direction.
---In combat, survivable strafing is an important flying skill.
---The Va that is unknown and not designed for a banking maneuver
---Unknown is the aircraft history of exceeding Va
---Distractions that cause instinctive control movements such as the mike button
---Distractions that result in loss of altitude such as just leaning forward in the seat.
---Do your checklists at specific points well before you become pressed by radio and traffic
---Learn the critical safe altitude minimums in all directions around your home field.
---Learn the critical safe altitude minimums in good weather to use at night and poor conditions.
---Trying to locate something on the ground
---Taking pictures while flying plane
---Formation flight is most common mid-air accident source
---Formation flight accidents are only 2% of maneuvering accidents.
---Nearly 40% of the stall spin accidents begin near 250 feet AGL.
---Only one percent of maneuvering accidents occur in what might be called ‘legitimate' f light
---You should not be turning below 1000 AGL since no spin recovery is possible.
---Airport pattern arrivals, procedures, departures
---CFIT controlled flight into terrain
---Where training fails and bad judgment succeeds
---Nearly half occur during stall/spin practice/training
---10% during aerobatics
---1/3 during buzzing
---5% occur in common airport practice areas.
---28% of stall/spin accidents occur on takeoff
---20% of stall/spin accidents occur on approach
---Formation flight requires uncommon specialized training and experience. Don't!
---Turns in density altitude situations are far more likely to result in a stall/spin
---Canyon flying is inherently dangerous if flown below the rim
---Only commercial pilots have a disproportionate number of maneuvering accidents
---Read somewhere that student pilots are more likely to have accidents when with an instructor

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