INTERNATIONAL
NTSB REPORTS Accident Synopses
NTSB Final Report 2020
Some accident reports are preliminary and the details may change from the original report.
A 24 | agairupdate.com
by Bill Lavender During the first months of each year, AgAir Update publishes the previous year’s accidents and fatality statistics. Providing this information earlier is not possible due to the delay of receiving data from the NTSB, even later this year assuming the government’s COIVD 19 concerns. Some accident reports are preliminary and the details may change from the original report. There are still nine incomplete reports from NTSB for Part 137 aircraft. AgAir Update takes all data related to agricultural aircraft operations as described by the NTSB, regardless whether the operation was actually operating under Part 137 at the time of the incident. This includes ag-aircraft operating Part 91 (ferry/reposition), mosquito control, cherry drying, etc. What this means for the reader is data from AgAir Update may not match data from NAAA or other sources that use different methods of calculation. AgAir Update categorizes accidents and fatalities with easy to read graphs. Comparisons between
type aircraft and geographical locations does not take into account the unknown number of hours flown or the number and type ag-aircraft registered in each state. Therefore, assumptions should not be made that any particular aircraft or state’s statistics are any worse or better than another.
TOTAL ACCIDENTS BY YEAR In 2020, there were 54 accidents, including one midair, and 12 fatal accidents with 13 deaths when including the midair that was reported by the NTSB compared to 67 accidents with 8 fatalities in 2019; less accidents but a higher number of fatalities. This accident number of 54 is the lowest in ten years with 99 the highest in 2011. However, 2020 exceeded any other previous year in 10 with 13 pilot fatalities with a total of 81 pilots killed in the last 10 years; an astounding number. Year 2013 with the best of all ten years with an accident-tofatality ratio of 4%, while 2020 was the worst year at 22.22%.
