"Peter Dohm" wrote:
I don't recall the cite, but have read that a very high percentage of
mid air collisions are actually fender benders. It is not at all
unusual for both of the accident aircraft to land safely.

Per my other recent post, very roughly half of all midairs could be
considered non-fatal fender-benders. I presume ~100% of all midairs are
harrowing to survivors of the initial impact, with about half the accident
participants living to tell the tale.

He could very well be right. Actually, a high percentage of all GA
accidents don't involve deaths or injuries.

Out of 1431 reported fixed wing GA accidents, 296 yielded fatalities, for a
~21% fatal rate and of course ~79% nonfatal. On the other hand, the number
of permanent injuries is unknown and those definitely have an impact on
remaining quality of life and lost earnings potential. So more than 21% of
the accidents would be considered by the victims and their relatives to be
classified as life-changing in a negative way.