Research
The whole record, reshaped by a question.
Every count below is the Board's own coding across the cases in scope — findings, occurrences, phases, recommendations, the evidence held. Click any bar to make it the filter. No fleet-exposure data exists here, so these are cases, never rates.
AircraftAllBoeing / McDonnell DouglasAirbusEmbraerBombardier / De HavillandBellSikorskyRobinsonCessnaPiperBeechcraft
OccurrenceAllTurbulence encounterCollision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) Loss of control in flightGround collisionFire/smoke (non-impact)Cabin safety eventPowerplant sys/comp malf/failSys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)TailstrikeControlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)Air traffic eventRunway excursion
Showing 42 cases · Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
42
cases in this slice
42
fatal accidents
142
lives lost
41
with a probable cause
41
with coded findings
86
safety recommendations
The record over time
cases per year by cohort, and the lives lost — click a year to focus on itCases per year
Major investigationPart 121 airlinePart 135 fatal
Fatalities per year
Fatalities
Why accidents happen
41 coded casesthe Board's findings taxonomy — causal findings in the probable cause, contributing factors beside them; occurrences and the phase of flight the defining event sat inPersonnel issues40 cases · 94 causal · 7 contributing
- Action/decision — Info processing/decision, Action27
- Task performance — Use of equip/info, Planning/preparation21
- Psychological — Perception/orientation/illusion, Attention/monitoring15
- Physical — Impairment/incapacitation, Alertness/Fatigue10
- Experience/knowledge — Knowledge, Training4
Environmental issues35 cases · 39 causal · 20 contributing
- Conditions/weather/phenomena — Ceiling/visibility/precip, Light condition29
- Physical environment — Terrain, Object/animal/substance9
- Operating environment — Communication system, Meteorological services4
- Task environment — Pressures/demands2
Aircraft25 cases · 32 causal · 10 contributing
- Aircraft oper/perf/capability — Performance/control parameters, Aircraft capability20
- Aircraft systems — Navigation system, Indicating/recording systems8
- Aircraft propeller/rotor — Main rotor system, Main rotor drive1
- Aircraft power plant — Engine (turbine/turboprop)1
Organizational issues13 cases · 27 causal · 11 contributing
- Support/oversight/monitoring — Oversight, Training13
- Management — Culture, Policy/procedure8
Not determined2 cases · 1 causal · 1 contributing
- Not determined — (general)2
Solid = cited in the probable cause · outlined = contributing factor · hover a row for the most-cited specifics.
Occurrences coded
- Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT) · 37 defining42
- VFR encounter with IMC · 4 defining12
- Loss of visual reference · 1 defining6
Phase of flight of the defining event
- Enroute23
- Approach13
- Maneuvering4
- InitialClimb2
Aircraft and operators
by manufacturer family and operating rule — counts of cases, with no fleet-size denominator, so a busy family simply flies moreAircraft family
- Cessna · 12 fatal12
- Bell · 6 fatal6
- Piper · 6 fatal6
- Beechcraft · 5 fatal5
- Other · 4 fatal4
- Bombardier / De Havilland · 4 fatal4
- Airbus · 4 fatal4
- Boeing / McDonnell Douglas · 1 fatal1
Operating rule
Operators with the most cases
- Paklook Air · 6 lives2
- Above It All · 3 lives1
- Aeronational · 2 lives1
- Air Angels · 4 lives1
- Air Excursions · 1 lives1
- Alaska Central Express · 2 lives1
- Alaska Skyways · 1 lives1
- Alpine Air · 1 lives1
- Asiana Airlines · 3 lives1
- Eaglemed · 1 lives1
- Era Helicopters · 4 lives1
- Florida Aero Charter · 3 lives1
What changed because of them
86 recommendations · 13 opensafety recommendations issued from these cases, by the NTSB's status of the response- Closed · acceptable 50
- Closed · unacceptable 17
- Closed · superseded or reconsidered 6
- Open · acceptable response 9
- Open · unacceptable response 4
Issued per year
Recommendations
Reiterated most often
- A-17-045reiterated ×1Closed - Unacceptable Action
TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Analyze your current policies, procedures, and tools for conducting oversight of commercial balloon operations in accordance with your Integrated Oversight Philosophy, taking into …
- A-17-035reiterated ×1Open - Acceptable Response
TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Implement ways to provide effective terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS) protections while mitigating nuisance alerts for single-engine airplanes operated under 14 Code of F…
- A-17-038reiterated ×1Closed - Acceptable Action
TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Expand the application of Federal Aviation Administration Order 8900.1, volume 3, chapter 19, section 6, “Safety Assurance System: Flight Training Curriculum Segments,” paragraphs …
Evidence held
what the corpus can show for this slice, year by year — a docket, decoded flight data, a transcript, photographs, controller audioWhat the record says for this slice
a pattern, not a findingthe causal findings the Board cited most often across the 40 coded cases here- Action/decision › Info processing/decision · Personnel issues · 55%22 cases
- Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip · Environmental issues · 45%18 cases
- Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters · Aircraft · 42%17 cases
- Task performance › Use of equip/info · Personnel issues · 40%16 cases
- Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion · Personnel issues · 28%11 cases
- Action/decision › Action · Personnel issues · 20%8 cases
- Physical environment › Terrain · Environmental issues · 12%5 cases
- Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight · Organizational issues · 12%5 cases
- Management › Policy/procedure · Organizational issues · 12%5 cases
- Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition · Environmental issues · 10%4 cases
- Support/oversight/monitoring › Safety programs · Organizational issues · 10%4 cases
- Task performance › Planning/preparation · Personnel issues · 10%4 cases
The cases
42 of 42newest first — open any case for its recorders, transcript, photographs and analyst| Date | Case | Aircraft | Operator | Where | Outcome | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-14 | WPR26FA186 Part 135 fatal | BEECH C90 | Generations Jets | Lincoln, NM | Fatal · 4 | no docket · open |
| 2023-07-20 | ANC23FA056 Part 135 fatal | BELL 206-L4 | MARITIME HELICOPTERS INC | Wainwright, AK | Fatal · 4 | 11 docs |
| 2023-07-02 | ANC23FA045 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA-32-300 | Vertigo Air Taxi | Old Harbor, AK | Fatal · 2 | 8 docs |
| 2021-08-05 | ANC21FA069 Part 135 fatal | DEHAVILLAND DHC-2 MK.I | Southeast Aviation LLC | Ketchikan, AK | Fatal · 6 | 40 docs |
| 2020-05-15 | ANC20LA046 Part 135 fatal | Cessna A185 | Webster James M | Nuiqsut, AK | Fatal · 1 | 6 docs |
| 2020-02-06 | ANC20FA017 Part 135 fatal | Piper PA32R | Paklook Air Inc | Tuntutuliak, AK | Fatal · 5 | 21 docs |
| 2018-09-24 | CEN18FA386 Part 135 fatal | CESSNA U206 | Regal Air | Rainy Pass, AK | Fatal · 1 | 22 docs |
| 2017-07-27 | ANC17FA039 Part 135 fatal | CESSNA U206 | Alaska Skyways, Inc. | Port Alsworth, AK | Fatal · 1 | 18 docs |
| 2017-05-01 | ANC17FA021 Part 135 fatal | CESSNA 208B | GRANT AVIATION INC | Chignik Lake, AK | Fatal · 1 | 18 docs |
| 2017-02-07 | CEN17FA100 Part 135 fatal | BELL 206B | Republic Helicopters, Inc. | Galveston, TX | Fatal · 1 | 11 docs |
| 2016-10-02 | ANC17MA001 Major investigation | CESSNA 208B | HAGELAND AVIATION SERVICES INC | Togiak, AK | Fatal · 3 | 81 docs |
| 2016-07-30 | DCA16MA204 Major investigation | KUBICEK BB85 | Heart of Texas Hot Air Balloon Rides | Lockhart, TX | Fatal · 16 | 83 docs |
| 2016-06-16 | ERA16FA215 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA31 | AERONATIONAL INC | State College, PA | Fatal · 2 | 14 docs |
| 2015-07-17 | ANC15FA049 Part 135 fatal | CESSNA 207A | Sea Port Airlines, Inc | Juneau, AK | Fatal · 1 | 50 docs |
| 2015-06-25 | ANC15MA041 Major investigation | DEHAVILLAND DHC-3 | Promech Air, Inc. | Ketchikan, AK | Fatal · 9 | 59 docs |
| 2015-03-13 | CEN15FA171 Part 135 fatal | EUROCOPTER AS 350 B2 | EAGLEMED LLC | Eufaula, OK | Fatal · 1 | 15 docs |
| 2014-02-27 | WPR14FA124 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA31 | Maui Island Air | Lanai City, HI | Fatal · 3 | 23 docs |
| 2013-11-30 | ANC14MA008 Major investigation | CESSNA 208B | Hageland Aviation | Saint Marys, AK | Fatal · 5 | 36 docs |
| 2013-11-06 | WPR14FA044 Part 135 fatal | CESSNA U206F | McCall Aviation Inc. | Donnelly, ID | Fatal · 3 | 22 docs |
| 2013-10-06 | WPR14LA007 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA32 - 300 | STAR MARIANAS AIR INC | Tinian Island | Fatal · 3 | 18 docs |
| 2013-08-14 | DCA13MA133 Major investigation | AIRBUS A300 - F4 622R | UNITED PARCEL SERVICE CO | Birmingham, AL | Fatal · 2 | 137 docs · FDR tables |
| 2013-07-06 | DCA13MA120 Major investigation | BOEING 777-200ER | Asiana Airlines | San Francisco, CA | Fatal · 3 | 183 docs · FDR tables |
| 2013-03-08 | ANC13FA030 Part 135 fatal | BEECH 1900C | ALASKA CENTRAL EXPRESS INC | Aleknagik, AK | Fatal · 2 | 38 docs |
| 2013-02-21 | ERA13MA139 Major investigation | BEECH 390 | Richard Z. Trammell | Thomson, GA | Fatal · 5 | 60 docs · recorder reports |
| 2012-08-02 | ANC12FA083 Part 135 fatal | PIPER PA-32-301 | AIR EXCURSIONS LLC | Hoonah, AK | Fatal · 1 | 10 docs |
| 2011-12-26 | ERA12MA122 Major investigation | BELL 206B | SK Logistics Inc | Green Cove Springs, FL | Fatal · 3 | 67 docs |
| 2011-11-24 | WPR12MA046 Major investigation | ROCKWELL 690 | Ponderosa Aviation | Apache Junction, AZ | Fatal · 6 | 71 docs |
| 2011-09-24 | ANC11FA107 Part 135 fatal | DEHAVILLAND DHC-3T | PAKLOOK AIR INC | Kodiak, AK | Fatal · 1 | 14 docs |
| 2011-08-14 | ANC11FA077 Part 135 fatal | CESSNA 207 | Inland Aviation Services | McGrath, AK | Fatal · 2 | 18 docs |
| 2011-03-30 | ERA11FA219 Part 135 fatal | BEECH 58 | Jet Logistics, Inc | Greensboro, NC | Fatal · 2 | 22 docs |
| 2011-03-30 | ERA11FA218 Part 135 fatal | CESSNA 310R | MILLER AVIATION LLC | Pikeville, KY | Fatal · 2 | 20 docs |
| 2010-08-09 | ANC10MA068 Major investigation | DEHAVILLAND DHC-3 | General Communication Corporation (GCI) | Aleknagik, AK | Fatal · 5 | 51 docs |
| 2010-07-04 | CEN10MA367 Major investigation | CESSNA 421B | OHARA FLYING SERVICE II LP | Alpine, TX | Fatal · 5 | 16 docs |
| 2008-12-11 | CEN09FA086 Part 135 fatal | BELL 206L-4 | Rotorcraft Leasing Company, LLC | Sabine Pass, TX | Fatal · 5 | 18 docs |
| 2008-12-03 | ERA09FA078 Part 135 fatal | ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL 690B | Webstas Aviation Services | Rio Grande, PR | Fatal · 3 | 25 docs |
| 2008-11-07 | ERA09FA039 Part 135 fatal | PARTENAVIA SPA P.68C | Florida Aero Charter Inc. | Gainesville, FL | Fatal · 3 | 21 docs |
| 2008-10-16 | CEN09MA019 Major investigation | BELL 222 | AIR ANGELS INC | Aurora, IL | Fatal · 4 | 19 docs |
| 2008-09-28 | MIA08MA203 Major investigation | AEROSPATIALE SA365N-1 D | Maryland State Police | District Heights, MD | Fatal · 4 | 126 docs |
| 2008-06-17 | LAX08FA190 Part 135 fatal | CESSNA 172M | Above It All, Inc. | Pahala, HI | Fatal · 3 | no docket |
| 2008-06-08 | DEN08FA101 Part 135 fatal | BELL 407 | Huntsville, TX | Fatal · 4 | 17 docs | |
| 2008-04-15 | ANC08FA053 Part 135 fatal | EUROCOPTER AS 350 B2 | ERA HELICOPTERS LLC | Chickaloon, AK | Fatal · 4 | 39 docs |
| 2008-01-14 | SEA08FA062 Part 135 fatal | Hawker Beechcraft Corporation 1900C | Alpine Air | Lihue, HI | Fatal · 1 | no docket |