Quote:
Originally Posted by jsimon7777
All the statistics I've seen, which are now impossible to find thanks to somebody, point to small planes being an order of magnitude more dangerous than driving a car.
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The statistics are pretty readily available, the difficulty comes with trying to compare it "cross platform" like autos to planes. It is also more difficult because "general aviation" covers a broad spectrum of flying types from ultralights to corporate jets.
This AOPA report based on NTSB statistics comes closest, but it deals with raw numbers and does not talk about the flights that did not end in accident or death.
In the end, single engine private planes are more dangerous than cars, in much the same way that motorcycles are more dangerous than cars, but I do not believe it is a magnitude more dangerous.
The one place where planes differ is a lot of accidental deaths are a result of either running out of fuel or flying into conditions you are not capable of handling. Both of those are almost entirely preventable.
At least to me, it all boils down to flying being less forgiving of human error.