FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-11/20

Title and Subtitle: A Human Factors Analysis of Fatal and Serious Injury Accidents in Alaska, 2004-2009

Report Date: December 2011

Authors: Williams KW

Abstract: This report summarizes the analysis of 97 general aviation accidents in Alaska that resulted in a fatality or serious injury to one or more aircraft occupants for the years 2004-2009. The accidents were analyzed using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) developed by Douglas Weigmann and Scott Shappell.

As found in previous studies of this nature, Skill-Based Errors were found to be the most common accident causal factor, followed by Violation, Decision-Based Error, and Perceptual Error. Comparison of the findings to previous research finds both similarities and contrasts. Recommendations for preventing accidents are provided.

Key Words: HFACS, General Aviation, Fatal and Serious Injury Accidents, Alaska, Part 91, Part 135, Human Factors, Psychology, Applied Psychology

No. of Pages: 17