Military Aircraft Safety: Serious Accidents Remain At Historically Low Levels
Abstract
Flight mishaps involve any reportable damage to an aircraft that is preparing to fly, in flight, or completing a landing. Flight mishaps are classified by DOD according to the severity of resulting injury or property damage. Class A mishaps involve damage of $1 million or more, a destroyed aircraft, or a fatality or permanent total disability. The remaining classes of mishaps are distinguished primarily by their loss value and severity of injury: Class B accidents involve damage ranging from $200,000 to less than $1 million, permanent partial disability, or inpatient hospitalization of five or more people; Class C accidents involve damage ranging from $10,000 to less than $200,000 or a lost-time injury; and Class D accidents involve damage of less than $10,000. Our review focused on Class A flight mishaps only. DOD requires that all mishaps be investigated so that causes can be identified and corrective actions taken to prevent future occurrences. Service safety centers1 play a key role in maintaining aviation mishap statistics, establishing safety policies, disseminating safety information, reviewing mishap investigation reports, tracking recommendations, and performing safety studies. In addition, the safety centers analyze trends to identify potential safety hazards.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- AD1101697
Entities
People
- Mark E. Gebicke