ACSF Releases Updated Charter Safety Review

The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) has published its updated safety review of the Part 135 on-demand air charter industry. The Part 135 Incident/Accident Review is a comprehensive look at the factors surrounding charter incidents and accidents between 2004 and 2010.   

In conducting the review, the ACSF analyzed each Part 135 on-demand event reported in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) database and identified non-revenue flights flown under Part 91 that were under the control of a certificate holder. These include maintenance, ferry, positioning and instructional flights among others. Events on Part 91 flights under the operational control of an aircraft owner were not included.

Several interesting data-points emerged in the review:

• Approximately 67% of all revenue flight accidents, and 63% of non-revenue, occurred in visual meteorological conditions (VMC).
• Revenue accident flights involving transportation to/from oil rigs represent, on average for the five year period, 16% of all accidents.

The ACSF refrains from drawing specific conclusions about these figures as the means to place them into proper context is dependent upon an accurate reporting of flight hours in each category. Such data is not collected by either the FAA or NTSB.

The Part 135 Incident/Accident Review will be updated as new information becomes available. Copies of the report are being delivered to every ACSF member. Non-members may order a copy of the publication for $30. Call ACSF at 888-723-3135 to place an order.