Light business aircraft make up a sizable portion of the business aviation fleet. These aircraft offer unmatched capabilities and economics for their owners but are routinely operated single pilot. Compared to multi-pilot operations, having just one pilot at the controls creates some challenges. At the top of that list is managing risk.
The NBAA Safety Committee has identified improving the single-pilot accident rate as a top safety focus area, saying, “Single-pilot operations have enhanced risks when compared to multi-pilot operations, demonstrated by the fact that single-pilot aircraft are 30 percent more likely to be involved in an accident than aircraft with dual-pilot crews. Single-pilot operations are more susceptible to task saturation; when task saturation increases, so too does the number of errors.”
Pilot, safety expert, consultant, and aviation journalist Stuart “Kipp” Lau writes about flight safety and airmanship for AIN.
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