Glider Safety

The following is the first of a series of newsletters to be sent to
subscribers to my popular newsletter.
It is a topic I presented at the FAA Safety Center in Lakeland
Florida.

If this is of any interest to you, please go to our web site www.eglider.org
and click on the link on the right side of the home page to subscribe.

Tom Knauff

A TEN-YEAR REVIEW OF GLIDER ACCIDENTS

You will find information about glider accidents on the following web
site:
http://www.ntsb.gov/Aviation/Aviation.htm

This series of newsletters will review:
Accident causes.
Where they are happening.
What you can do.

Glider pilots are generally:
Intelligent
Educated
Mature
Financially well off

You would expect glider flying to be safer than most other activities.

Which is more dangerous?
Flying Gliders?
Driving Automobiles?

A common statement is: “Driving to the gliderport is more dangerous
than flying in a glider.” Unfortunately, this is not true.

Common Automobile Accident Factors
Night driving.
Alcohol, drugs.
Minimal training.
Distractions.
Speeding.
Heavy, close traffic.
Young/old drivers


Flying gliders has very few of these accident-causing factors.

You would expect glider flying to be safer than driving.

However, statistics show glider flying (USA & most countries) is much
worse.

FATALITIES PER THOUSAND
Gliders: Approximately 1 in 2,000
Autos: Approximately 1 in 6,000

Ten Year Glider Fatalities (USA)

Year
2009 8
2008 3
2007 6
2006 4
2005 6
2004 7
2003 6
2002 6
2001 6
2000 5

Total 57 fatalities.

5.7 per year.

The thirty-year average is 6.1 fatalities per year.

More to follow.

Tom Knauff

On Feb 21, 2:04*pm, Tom wrote:
The following is the first of a series of newsletters to be sent to
subscribers to my popular newsletter.

This series of newsletters will review:
Accident causes.

FATALITIES PER THOUSAND
Gliders: Approximately 1 in 2,000
*Autos: *Approximately 1 in 6,000

Tom,

I don't doubt the numbers are horrible but can you please clarify
"FATALITIES PER THOUSAND"? Per thousand what? Is this registered
gliders, certificated pilots, hours flown, miles flown...?

thanks

Andy

If it wasn't dangerous it wouldn't be any fun.
On Feb 21, 5:04*pm, Andy wrote:
On Feb 21, 2:04*pm, Tom wrote:

The following is the first of a series of newsletters to be sent to
subscribers to my popular newsletter.
This series of newsletters will review:
Accident causes.
FATALITIES PER THOUSAND
Gliders: Approximately 1 in 2,000
*Autos: *Approximately 1 in 6,000

Tom,

I don't doubt the numbers are horrible but can you please clarify
"FATALITIES PER THOUSAND"? *Per thousand what? *Is this registered
gliders, certificated pilots, hours flown, miles flown...?

thanks

Andy

wrote

If it wasn't dangerous it wouldn't be any fun.

I hope you say that mostly in jest; otherwise, I say,

Bull-bleep!

To some, that may be the reason they fly, but that sure isn't the reason
many or most fly. I want to be old and gray, and flying all the way till I
can't see straight in my upper 90's, at least!
--
Jim in NC

On Feb 21, 4:57*pm, "Morgans" wrote:

To some, that may be the reason they fly, but that sure isn't the reason
many or most fly. *I want to be old and gray, and flying all the way till I
can't see straight in my upper 90's, at least!

This seems to be quite a common attitude toward glider flying.

I wonder how much better the glider fatality numbers would look if the
cases where the pilot was dead, or otherwise medically incapacitated,
prior to the accident were eliminated. Several US fatal accidents in
the past few years seem to fall into that category.

Is there a case for requiring a medical certificate for SSA sanctioned
contests?

Andy

Right. Let us inflict more restrictions on ourselves. For the
children of course. If it is a good idea for contests then it is good
idea for everyone...

Is there a case for requiring a medical certificate for SSA sanctioned
contests?

Andy

I submit that there is no case for a glider medical. I know of two
pilots who both had current FAA medicals and had heart problems
requiring stent implantation. Neither had any physical warning, much
less an AME telling them they had impending problems. Both are,
thankfully, just fine - but no thanks to a bureaucratic medical
process.

-John

On Feb 22, 12:42 pm, Andy wrote:
Is there a case for requiring a medical certificate for SSA sanctioned
contests?

"Andy" wrote

This seems to be quite a common attitude toward glider flying.

You missed my point. I mean flying when I am 99 with good health and sound
mind, all the way until that point. Not just gliders, either.
--
Jim in NC

On Feb 22, 12:42*pm, Andy wrote:
On Feb 21, 4:57*pm, "Morgans" wrote:

To some, that may be the reason they fly, but that sure isn't the reason
many or most fly. *I want to be old and gray, and flying all the way till I
can't see straight in my upper 90's, at least!

This seems to be quite a common attitude toward glider flying.

I wonder how much better the glider fatality numbers would look if the
cases where the pilot was dead, or otherwise medically incapacitated,
prior to the accident were eliminated. *Several US fatal accidents in
the past few years seem to fall into that category.

Is there a case for requiring a medical certificate for SSA sanctioned
contests?

Andy

This was on the RC agenda last Fall and the judgement was that this is
not needed.
My OPINION:We would more likely reduce accidents if the money that
would be spent on a medical were to be applied to regular recurrent
training. My personal observation is that the majority of the poor
flying I see is due to lack of recent practice and need for recurrent
training.
The 2 pilots I know of that had recent fatal accidents believed to be
attributable to medical causes both knew about their condition and
elected to fly anyway. Even a pilot holding a medical could do this-
not legally. Self certification holds us all to the same standard of
not having a physical defect that would make us unable to pilot
glider.
FWIW
UH

On Feb 21, 2:04*pm, Andy wrote:
On Feb 21, 2:04*pm, Tom wrote:

The following is the first of a series of newsletters to be sent to
subscribers to my popular newsletter.
This series of newsletters will review:
Accident causes.
FATALITIES PER THOUSAND
Gliders: Approximately 1 in 2,000
*Autos: *Approximately 1 in 6,000

Tom,

I don't doubt the numbers are horrible but can you please clarify
"FATALITIES PER THOUSAND"? *Per thousand what? *Is this registered
gliders, certificated pilots, hours flown, miles flown...?

thanks

Andy

I have the same question - what is the denominator? In fact there are
two denominators required since you also need to specify a time frame
(typically a year).

If the 1 in 2,000 is per glider pilot per year that would be a lot
worse for glider pilots than per hour or per operation - like takeoff
or landing, or per trip in a car. Most pilots spend a lot less time in
their gliders than in their autos and make a lot more car trips than
glider flights.

If the stats are per pilot then you are three times as likely to have
a fatal accident in your glider for an average person. If it's per
hour then you are 2-3 times as likely to have a fatal auto accident in
any given year.

Based on the number of people I know who have died in each activity
I'm betting Tom's stats are per person per year. I've known maybe a
dozen pilots who have been killed in gliders and can't recall a single
auto accident victim that I had met personally.

It also means that over a 40 year soaring career your probability of
being in a fatal accident is around 1 in 50, or 2% - assuming you fly
the average annual amount of hours over the entire period.

9B