Glass Cockpit Safety in General Aviation Aircraft NTSB Hearing
April 13, 2011
Here is the NTSB Hearing on Glass Cockpits in GA aircraft and their affect on training and safety. SB-10-07 NTSB STUDY SHOWS INTRODUCTION OF GLASS COCKPITS IN GENERAL AVIATION AIRPLANES HAS NOT LED TO EXPECTED SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS Washington, DC Today the National Transportation Safety Board adopted a study concluding that single engine airplanes equipped with glass cockpits had no better overall safety record than airplanes with conventional instrumentation. The safety study, which was adopted unanimously by the Safety Board, was initiated more than a year ago to determine if light airplanes equipped with digital primary flight displays, often referred to as “glass cockpits,” were inherently safer than those equipped with conventional instruments. The study, which looked at the accident rates of over 8000 small piston-powered airplanes manufactured between 2002 and 2006, found that those equipped with glass cockpits had a higher fatal accident rate then similar aircraft with conventional instruments. The Safety Board determined that because glass cockpits are both complex and vary from aircraft to aircraft in function, design and failure modes, pilots are not always provided with all of the information they need both by aircraft manufacturers and the Federal Aviation Administration to adequately understand the unique operational and functional details of the primary flight instruments in their airplanes. NTSB Chairman Deborah AP Hersman highlighted the role that training …
