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Date of Graduation

5-2027

Description

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversees and regulates all aviation operations in the United States including General Aviation (GA) (FAA, 2016). General aviation is defined as all civil aviation operations other than scheduled air services and non-scheduled air transport operations for remuneration or hire (ICAO, 2009). The FAA sets the standards for pilot certification and training. Student pilots are required to fly at least a minimum of 40 hours to earn their private pilot license (CFR, 2024). During this time, students are to fly for at least 30 hours with a flight instructor and 10 hours solo, which includes cross-country flights, maneuvers, emergency procedures, takeoffs, and landings. Although there are numerous regulations and training hours required for a pilot’s license, approximately 50% of all personal and business aviation accidents involve student pilots (Houston et al., 2012). The high rate of accidents can be attributed to several factors, with loss of aircraft control being the leading cause of student pilot accidents (Houston et al., 2012). Since student pilots form the foundation of the future generation of aviation professionals, it is necessary to provide a better understanding of the causes and factors that lead to instructional and solo student pilot accidents. This study analyzes General Aviation instructional accidents using the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident reports to identify the most frequent causes of such accidents. The study has so far led to the conclusion that the landing and take-off phases for both solo and dual flights are the reason for most accidents. Moreover, the study has identified a large disparity in the quantity of accidents between solo and dual flights. The findings from my proposed research may provide a basis for continued research to improve flight training procedures and enhance GA safety in the future.

Publication Date

2025

Document Type

Book

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Mechanical Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Majumdar, Neelakshi

Disciplines

Engineering

Keywords

Engineering

Solo Versus Dual: A Comparative Analysis of Instructional General Aviation Accidents

Included in

Engineering Commons

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