CIRRUS FATAL ACCIDENT RATE STATISTICS (reproduced with permission
from Cirrus Design)
After several years of tweaking training programs, Cirrus
reports that the fatal accident rate for its aircraft has dropped dramatically
in the past couple of years and is now measurably below the fatal accident rate
for GA as a whole. At the Aero show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, the company’s
Travis Klumb told assembled journalists that both the overall rate and the
fatal accident rate has reached all-time lows for both the SR20 and SR22.
In this podcast (/podcast/Podcast-Cirrus-Reports-Dramatic-Accident-Reduction-221837-1.html),
Klumb said as recently as 2004, the Cirrus fatal accident rate was about twice
the industry average at 2.6/100,000 hours. In 2013, the Cirrus fatal rate had
dropped to 1.01/100,000, below the industry average of 1.2. Klumb said 2014 is looking similarly
promising, with initial data showing a rate of .56/100,000.
Why the turnaround? Klumb said there are at least two
reasons. One was that Cirrus, model-wide, experienced a higher-than-average
accident rate when it was first introduced simply because it was a new airplane
that pilots weren’t familiar with. Second, usage patterns indicate that Cirrus
aircraft aren’t used much for recreational flying, but for transportation and
that means flight in challenging weather. “These pilots are flying complex
missions for long distances, a lot of weather and a lot of different types of
terrain. But it’s still the same type of pilot who would normally fly around
the traffic pattern so it’s a more challenging mission,” Klumb said.
During his presentation, Klumb said Cirrus has made
substantial revisions in its training for new owners at the factory and these
changes are shortly to be fielded to Cirrus owners at large through the
company’s well-established Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot program.
Further, Cirrus is engaging its owners with suggestions on paths they might
pursue for personal improvement and the company is connecting owners with
experienced mentors.
The Cirrus CAPS parachute system has also figured in the
accident turn around. When the Cirrus aircraft first appeared, there was almost
no reliable experience base in how to train pilots in deciding how and when to
use the parachute. Since then, the company has incorporated CAPS
decision-making in its standard training package. Cirrus’ Todd Simmons said
there have been 40 CAPS deployments in the 5600-aircraft Cirrus fleet, which
recently hit the six million fleet-hour mark. “Eighty seven people are alive
today that, by all measures, would otherwise not be,” Simmons said.
Improvements in training may yet drive down the accident rate
further. Cirrus said two out of every three fatal accidents could have been
prevented with timely CAPS deployment.