Static Rate of Failed Equipment-Related Fatal Accidents in General Aviation

General aviation (GA), comprised mainly of piston engine airplanes, has an inferior safety history compared with air carriers in the United States. Most studies addressing this safety disparity has focused on pilot deficiencies. Herein, we determined the rates/causes of equipment failure-related GA fatal accidents for type-certificated and experimental-amateur-built airplanes. Aviation accidents/injury severity were per the NTSB AccessR database. Statistical tests employed proportion/binomial tests/a Poisson distribution. The rate of fatal accidents (1990–2019) due to equipment failure was unchanged (p > 0.026), whereas the fatal mishap rate related to other causes declined (p < 0.001). A disproportionate (2× higher) count (p < 0.001) of equipment-related fatal accidents was evident for experimental-amateur-built aircraft with type-certificated references. Propulsion system (67%) and airframe (36%) failures were the most frequent causes of fatal accidents for type-certificated and experimental-amateur-built aircraft, respectively. The components “fatigue/corrosion” and “manufacturer–builder error” resulted in 60% and 55% of powerplant and airframe failures, respectively. Most (>90%) type-certificated aircraft propulsion system failures were within the manufacturer-prescribed engine time-between-overhaul (TBO) and involved components inaccessible for examination during an annual inspection. There is little evidence for a decline in equipment failure-related fatal accident rate over three decades. Considering the fact that powerplant failures mostly occur within the TBO and involve fatigue/corrosion of one or more components inaccessible for examination, GA pilots should avoid operations where a safe off-field landing within glide-range is not assured.