Loss Prevention Research

A reasonable estimate based on Avemco Insurance Company claims data and analysis of FAA accident records indicates that General Aviation insurance losses in the US average at least $500 million per year. What is worse, according to 2009 NTSB data an average of roughly nine general aviation fatalities per week! (See http://www.ntsb.gov/data/table1.html*) While some losses are due to things like hurricanes or theft, it is commonly believed that at least 70% result from pilot error, and those are typically the most severe.

At Avemco we realize that when one of us in GA suffers a loss we all share in it, whether or not the pilot is insured with us. Every aircraft owner's insurance premium depends in some measure on the judgment, skills, and character of his fellow pilots.

Premiums rise when losses rise; this is an unavoidable fact of economics. But losses are not unavoidable. If we can address pilot error effectively, we can reduce losses, and thereby help control premiums. More importantly, losses are worth avoiding for more than their financial cost. Doing what we can to help the community avoid suffering, death, and property damage is the ethical thing to do.

Sadly, accident causes over the years are frustratingly consistent. We've see very little change in the causes of loss despite remarkable advances in technology and all sorts of educational efforts. We're not sure exactly where the problem is yet, but we are dedicated to advancing our understanding of it and making a difference.

To that end, Avemco is sponsoring pioneering research into aviation loss prevention. This project, called the Airmanship Education Research Initiative (AERI), is intended to uncover patterns behind losses and design educational initiatives to help prevent them. AERI does not concentrate on knowledge or skills, but rather on developing professionalism in airmanship.

UPDATE: October 2010

Now that AERI's feasibility phase has been completed, formal, full-scale research design is underway.

The research focuses on ascertaining the roots of pilot error in order to understand the "gap" between pilots disposed to mishaps and those less likely to suffer them.

In addition to theories of identity-formation, cultural influence, and social norms, the research incorporates insights from multiple disciplines, including aviation, professional ethics, organizational psychology, moral psychology, and education. It also relies on foregoing work at the Center for the Study of Ethical Development at the University of Minnesota.

With some of the work being conducted at Avemco's headquarters, this research is explicitly intended to produce original, actionable insights for aviation loss-prevention efforts. Please be sure to watch for periodic project updates here and in future Avemco presentations.

What Our Customers are Saying
"Jim, I read your article, 'We Have Met the Enemy' and Bill's 'Haste Makes Waste' in the current issue of On Approach. I applaud your initiative to support AERI."
-Chris Burns

Avemco is proud to represent the general aviation community as we take a leadership position in accident prevention through live seminars, webinars, articles, and our support of AERI. Here are just a few examples of where we're headed and what we've done.

Be sure to visit this page regularly for future updates on our Loss Prevention efforts.

*Avemco provides links to outside websites as a service to its website visitors. Upon clicking on one of the above links you will be leaving the Avemco website. Avemco cannot guarantee or be responsible for the security of any of these websites.