Along with SAFE Executive Director Doug Stewart, SAFE members Jeff Edwards, who also represented the Lancair Owners and Builders Organization (LOBO), and Tom Turner, who also represented the American Bonanza Society (ABS), recently participated in a “Listening Session” chaired by NTSB member Dr. Earl Weener. The session sought input from members of the general aviation industry on ways that NTSB could improve on its investigation of GA accidents.

Other organizations participating in the session included AOPA, EAA, ERAU, FAA, GAMA, IHST, and NASA. A recurring theme throughout the four-hour session was the need for NTSB to gather more data relative to the human factors involved in accidents, including: recency of experience, recency of recurrent training, types of recurrent training, testing and check ride history, and the history of the pilot during the 72-hour period immediately preceding an accident.

NTSB initiatives seeking input from industry members, as well as the enthusiastic participation of industry members in providing such input, is a positive step toward changing GA’s safety culture, which was a central component of the SAFE-chaired “Pilot Training Symposium” in 2011. The output from the symposium has been a catalyst for a cohesive effort by stakeholders to solve the persistent safety problems plaguing our industry.