Business Aviation Safety Still Has Room To Grow, Experts Say at NATA Summit

Business Aviation Safety Still Has Room To Grow

Safety management systems could help avoid accidents and incidents, say experts

NATA Air Charter Summit Safety Panel — Andrew Schmertz, CEO and cofounder of Hopscotch Air and chair of the National Air Transportation Association's (NATA) charter committee (r), led a discussion on private aviation safety this week at NATA's Air Charter Summit in Oklahoma CIty. Panelists included Stephan Burgess, emergency operations center manager with Fireside Partners (l) and NTSB senior accident investigator and duty officer Brice Banning. © Curt Epstein/AIN

By Curt Epstein • Business Aviation Services Editor

June 28, 2024

While aviation in general remains an extremely safe mode of transportation, there still remains room for improvement, particularly on the business aviation side, according to Andrew Schmertz, CEO and co-founder of New York-based charter operator Hopscotch Air and chair of NATA’s charter committee. “The fact is we are still having accidents in this industry,” he said while moderating a panel on safety at the NATA Air Charter Summit earlier this week in Oklahoma City. “We have an exemplary safety record but it’s falling short of our [Part] 121 brethren.”

Panelist Brice Banning, a senior accident investigator with the NTSB, noted that the top defining accident cause for Part 135 operations from 2008 to 2022 is loss of control in flight, followed by powerplant system component failure and abnormal runway contact. “When we narrowed the data down to 2017 to 2022, we saw loss of control in flight, abnormal runway contact, and loss of control on the ground, so I think the data would suggest that the same defining events are showing up.”

The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background. The rest of this article continues for AIN Members with the full report, analysis and background.