Page 38 - Volume 14 Number 4

SAFETYTALK
Paul Bertorelli Updates His
Cirrus Safety Analysis
by RICK BEACH, COPA® SAFETY CHAIR
Here you are reading one magazine article that recommends you read another. Paul Bertorelli published an update of his Cirrus safety analysis in the April 2019 issue of Aviation Consumer. Also, worth watching is his AvWeb video on YouTube “Are Planes with Parachutes Really Safer?”
Aviation Consumer
As mentioned, in the April 2019 issue of Aviation Consumer, renowned aviation journalist Paul Bertorelli updated his analysis of accidents and safety, “Cirrus at 25: A Safer Airplane?”
Paul’s article updates his previous
work on aviation safety from 2012
that compared Cirrus accident rates
to several similar model aircraft. At that time, Cirrus had some strengths but showed some weaknesses in the safety results.
This time, Paul completed his research, then talked extensively with me about trends and factors in Cirrus
accident history. He also interviewed Executive Director of Flight Training & Operations and Chief Pilot at Cirrus Aircraft, Rob Haig, along with incoming President of COPA and former Provost of COPA University Trip Taylor.
Big News: 2018 at 0.78 fatal accidents per
100,000 flying hours
After reviewing recent Cirrus accidents and updating his statistics, Paul observed two key points:
“At the outset, two things are apparent: For the past five years, the Cirrus fatal accident rate has trended downward and the company has responded to an exceptionally activist owner association to improve safety-related training for its customers.”
2012 analysis showed 1.60 fatal accidents per 100,000 flying hours
His earlier examination of the Cirrus safety record six years ago calculated a fatal rate of 1.60 fatal accidents per 100,000 hours, which was slightly higher than the
36 ■ COPA Pilot
MAY 2019