AOPA Says NTSB Too Speculative In GA Reports

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The NTSB should conduct an internal review to determine why several recent reports regarding general aviation accidents included “speculative” conclusions that aren’t supported by factual data, AOPA said on Tuesday. In a letter to the safety board’s acting chairman, Bella Dinh-Zarr, AOPA’s government affairs vice-president Jim Coon objected to reports that cited medical incapacitation of the pilot “contrary to other compelling evidence.” AOPA said it is concerned “that in some cases the NTSB is relying less on facts and more on speculation.”

The problem has persisted despite a meeting on the issue between then-NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart and AOPA President Mark Baker in 2016, Coon wrote. AOPA cited two cases in which the pilot lost control, leading to a fatal crash. Medical examiners attributed death of a pilot in Wisconsin to blunt-force injuries, after a crash while in the landing pattern flying a Quad City Challenger II. Yet the NTSB report concludes the pilot lost control because of a “cardiovascular event.” The pilot had a history of heart problems, but AOPA says there is no evidence that was a factor in the crash. Another crash, in Ohio, killed a pilot with a history of coronary artery disease, flying as a sport pilot in a homebuilt Europa XL. The airplane impacted terrain about a half-mile from the airport. The NTSB report concludes “it is likely” the pilot experienced incapacitation due to a “cardiovascular event,” but AOPA says there is no evidence to support that.

“Personally, after having worked with the NTSB for decades, it is disheartening that the Board is now allowing someone at the staff level to approve these academic probable-cause determinations,” Coon wrote. “Moreover, I am dismayed that the Board’s Chief Medical Examiner allows this speculative practice to continue.” A spokesman for the NTSB told AVweb on Tuesday the board will issue a response to the AOPA letter within the next few days.

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