July - August 2007 Aircraft Accidents

Hi Readers: Back from the hospital - a huge bit of vertigo and a spiking blood pressure caught me unawares. Now I'll finish what I started. Looks like July and August 2007 were two months of aircraft accidents and incidents indicating some very bad judgment and failure to follow the rules. The weather played a part, too. NTSB is still investigating.

There were 72 aircraft accidents and 5 incidents in August compared to 199 accidents and 3 incidents in July. The fatal accidents in August totaled 26, with 55 fatalities, compared to 39 fatal accidents, with 73 fatalities (not including the Brazilian airline fiasco, taking 186 lives) in July.

The record for August indicates an improvement until we look at the type and nature of the accidents. And, as we go along, we'll keep in mind the question, "could these accidents and incidents have been prevented?". Although it will take a detailed study and review to know why and how, the answer, of course, is a resounding yes.

The flying hours for each month, which at this point would still be estimated, would indicate a slight increase in the accident rate. The incidents and the fatal accidents, however, give us the insight that we need, since the incident is the beginning of an accident and the fatal accident has reached and passed its reality.

Without going into the details, both the July and August incidents indicated pilot error, local and ground control errors, as well as poor coordination in the taxi, takeoff, and landing operations. All of the operations occured in daylight and during VFR conditions.
The July and August accidents occured worldwide, with the majority being in the continental U.S., with Alaska accounting for 8 accidents in July and 11 accidents in August.

The fatal accidents, particularly in Alaska, are revealing of multiple errors:
Weather Involved: July 2007 - 9 , August 2007 - 4
Pilot Error (Loss of control, etc.): Jul - 13 ; Aug 9
Engine Failure: Jul - 1 ; Aug 2
Experimental / Amateur failures: Jul 1 ; Aug - 5
Unknown / Unreported: Jul - 10 ; Aug - 2
Inflight Fire: Jul 1 ; Aug - 0
Medical Flight: Jul - 1 ; Aug - 1
Suicide: Jul - 0 ; Aug - 1
Uncertificated Flight: Jul - 0; Aug - 1
Helicopter tail rotor failure: Jul - 1 ; Aug - 1
Helicopter collision: Jul - 1 ; Aug - 0

The collision of 2 TV Channel news helicopters in Phoenix, AZ while watching a police persuit on the ground, as unusual as it was, showed inattention in flight and poor coordination of operations (in fact there were a total of five helicopters in the air in the same operation).

There were two fatal Part 135 sightseeing tour accidents out of Ketchikan, Alaska, one in July and one in August, both DeHavilland DHC-2 aircraft. Both directly involving VFR operations in IFR conditions of rain, fog, low clouds, and strong downdrafts. The July accident resulted in 5 fatalities and 4 serious injuries, and the August accident in 5 fatalities.

We will hope for better results in September. Thanks for listening.

RS