FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
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Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-02/23

Title and Subtitle: General aviation maintenance-related accidents: A review of 10 years of NTSB data

Report Date: December 2002

Authors: Goldman SM, Fiedler ER, and King RE

Abstract: NTSB accident investigation reports for general aviation accidents occurring between 1988 and 1997 were analyzed in order to provide a descriptive look at ten years worth of accident data. This sample included 1,503 reports, all of which indicated at least one maintenance-related issue as a cause or factor in the accident. Initial analyses describe the frequency of occurrence for type of maintenance task and type of aircraft. Accidents were compared on frequency of occurrence, number of fatalities, and number of serious injuries. Odds for each variable resulting in a fatality or injury are reported.

Results indicated that installation errors were the leading maintenance-related cause or factor involved with the accidents. Since installation errors were most common further analyses focused on a more detailed description of installation error. Type of installation error, type of aircraft system involved in the installation, whether or not the installation was inspected, credentials of the mechanic performing the installation, and the operational impact of the installation error were investigated. Results indicate that reversed installation and wrong part were the two installation errors most likely to cause death or injury in GA aircraft accident.

Key Words: General Aviation Maintenance, Human Error, Installation, Inspection

No. of Pages: 12