General Aviation Accidents: Postcrash Fires and How to Prevent or Control Them

A study by the National Transportation Safety Board showed that postcrash fires occurred in approximately 8.0 per cent of the 22,002 general aviation accidents during 1974–1978. About 59 per cent of the accidents involving postcrash fire resulted in fatalities, while fatalities were involved in only 13.3 per cent of those accidents without fire. A survey of state‐of‐the‐art technology has demonstrated that feasible techniques for the containment dramatically reduces fire injuries and deaths. The study has shown that there are few regulations dealing with the postcrash fire problem in general aviation aircraft. The Safety Board has made six recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration for corrective action.