Any safety expert who wants to improve accident statistics could learn a lot by observing the Mitsubishi MU-2 situation. Since the issuance of the final rule outlining special training regulations for MU-2 pilots, there has been only one accident, and that was nonfatal. This contrasts markedly with the MU-2’s accident history before the enactment of the special FAR (SFAR).
The SFAR mandates initial, recurrent and requalification training for all MU-2 pilots. What this new rule effectively does is prevent any pilot with a multi-engine rating from legally flying an MU-2 without specific training. In the U.S., any such pilot is allowed to fly any twin-engine non-turbojet airplane weighing up to 12,500 pounds. While it’s unlikely that an insurance company would underwrite an inexperienced private multi-engine pilot who had just bought an MU-2, the rules do allow a lot of latitude, and the MU-2 SFAR prohibits pilots who aren’t trained in the airplane from flying one.
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