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Vol. 2, No. 1 Spring 2025
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Welcome to the latest edition of the General Aviation Joint Safety Committee's (GAJSC) quarterly newsletter, the FlySafe Flyer! This newsletter is intended to keep you apprised of GAJSC-related news and updates, as well as relevant safety information that impacts the general aviation community. The FlySafe Flyer also aims to convey the GAJSC's purpose and collaborative role in advancing aviation safety. We encourage you to read and share this content with your fellow airmen. Please copy the link here to share. For a list of previous newsletters, go to gajsc.org/newsletter.
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Refocus Your Safety Preparedness
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A Welcome Message from Mike Ginter, Senior Vice President of the AOPA Air Safety Institute and GAJSC Co-Chair
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My name is Mike Ginter, and I am one of the Industry Co-Chairs of the GAJSC. I work closely with Sean Elliott (EAA), the other Industry Co-Chair, and Kim Pyle, Government Co-Chair and FAA Executive Director of Accident Investigation and Prevention (AVP). It is an honor to serve with the aviation safety professionals on the GAJSC and implement strategies that drive the GA accident rate lower.
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General Aviation has enjoyed a declining accident rate for 30 years – thanks in no small part to the work of the GAJSC. But even with the fatal accident rate at record lows, GA pilots are continuing to make deadly decisions and mistakes, and the top 10 causes of fatal accidents have not changed appreciably over the years.
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The time is right for the entire GA community to take a short break and refocus on safety. The AOPA Air Safety Institute is leading this industry-wide collaborative effort with the support of the FAA and 24 other pilot associations to host the National Pause for General Aviation Safety, and we are asking EVERY GA pilot in America to participate.
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The idea for a safety pause is borrowed from the military culture of safety standdowns. A ‘pause’ is obviously not about taking a break from safety – it’s about taking a short but dedicated break from flying – less than an hour – to personally reflect on how you fly and examine the risk in your personal flying. The National Pause for GA Safety website facilitates this individual focus on safety.
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Participating in the National Pause for GA Safety is simple. Visit GAsafe.org, select one of 4 general types of GA flying that you enjoy, then pick and review at least one of dozens of curated safety content that best fits your flying style. You can earn FAA WINGS credit by passing a 15-question quiz, and you can download a digital badge for your social media or website indicating that you participated in the Pause for GA safety. By dedicating less than an hour to focus on your flying, you are instantly improving your safety culture. And by selecting the safety content that is most interesting to you, you’ll be expanding your understanding of the risk factors inherent in that type of flying.
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If you are a chapter, club or association leader, or a FAASTeam leader, we encourage you to make the Pause for GA Safety a part of your next meeting.
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Our goal is for every GA pilot in America to participate. The website will not ask for any personal information (like email address or credit card). Please take a few moments today to participate in the National Pause for GA Safety!
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Stay sharp and stay safe!
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Mike Ginter – GAJSC Co-Chair
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General Aviation Safety Performance Update
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Here's a look at the GA fatal accident rate for fiscal year (FY) 2025. As you can see in the chart here, the estimated GA fatal accident rate is at 0.53 accidents per 100,000 flight hours (as of April 22, 2025), well below the yearly target of 0.92. You can also see the total GA fatal accidents broken out by month in FY25 here (as of April 22, 2025).
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For more details, see the Pareto chart on general aviation fatal accidents, which can be customized to display a specific date range of accident data and sort results by aircraft classification, FAR part, operational category, and accident category.
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Recent Fly Safe Topics Cover GA Survival Tips, Building Proficiency with WINGS, and Stabilized Approach and Landing
The March Fly Safe topic covers the FAA's WINGS program and how completing activities can help you build proficiency and earn you a Flight Review.
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A stabilized approach is key to a safe flight. For important tips on maintaining stability on your next approach, check out the April Fly Safe topic.
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FlySafe topics are monthly outreach focus areas designed to support and promote the GAJSC's data-driven safety mitigation strategies, or Safety Enhancements.
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- May — Approval for Return to Service: The importance of proper return to service determination and documentation.
- June — Regulatory Roadblock Reduction: How streamlining the certification/approval of GA safety equipment can help owners adopt these technologies.
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FTFD Videos Provide Pilots Valuable Preflight Planning
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FAA's From the Flight Deck video series provides pilots with actual runway approach and airport taxiway footage captured with aircraft-mounted cameras, combined with diagrams and visual graphics to clearly identify hot spots and other safety-sensitive items at airports. The series has grown to include 142 videos spanning 42 states. Pilots and flight instructors are tapping into this resource to fly safely and educate trainees, evidenced by the 1 million-plus views to the series on YouTube. For more on the series, see a recent FAA blog post here.
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NTSB Unveils More Efficient, Digitalized Aviation Accident Data Collection System
On March 31, 2025, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) introduced a secure online portal for pilots and operators to submit data in support of aviation accidents and incidents investigated by the NTSB. Previously, pilots and operators were required to download a lengthy, fillable PDF and email that form back to the agency.
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Pilots and operators can now submit NTSB Form 6120.1 on a phone or computer directly on the NTSB website, providing a user-friendly option that ends the need for investigators to manually input the information.
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Read more about the online portal here.
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Safety Enhancement Spotlight — Aeronautical Decision-Making
The GAJSC analyzes general aviation (GA) safety data to develop intervention strategies to prevent or mitigate problems associated with accident causes, called Safety Enhancements (SE). These SEs may include procedures, training, and equipment installations that, when implemented, may reduce the likelihood of accidents in the future.
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In this issue of FlySafe Flyer, we'd like to introduce SE 03 - Aeronautical Decision-Making.
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Among the objectives with this SE is to raise awareness of what aeronautical decision-making (ADM) is and how integrating sound ADM principles into your flying can improve safety. Here are a few good resources that emphasize the importance of ADM:
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Please see the GAJSC SE page here for more information.
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GAJSC Member Profile — NAFI
Founded in 1967, the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) is the largest association dedicated exclusively to flight instruction. NAFI's mission is to raise and maintain the professional standing of flight instructors in the aviation community. They accomplish this by providing instructors with tools and resources that help them deliver the best training and service possible.
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See the NAFI website for more information. See here for a list of all GAJSC partners.
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Thanks for reading and #FlySafe!
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Partners in Aviation Safety
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We need your feedback! Please tell us what you think.
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