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Safety for experimental category aircraft in the U.S. over the past 12 months continued the trend of improvement seen over the past 15 years, as the fatal accident total fell another 5 percent and finished below the Federal Aviation Administration not-to-exceed number for the federal fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2021.

This decrease in fatal accidents mirrors a year of substantial improvement in overall general aviation, even with increased flight hours over the past 12 months. There were 42 fatal accidents in experimental category aircraft during that period (Oct. 1, 2020-Sept. 30, 2021), five below the FAA’s not-to-exceed number set for the year. Of that total, 33 were in amateur-built aircraft.

“This is continued good news on the safety front, as fatal accident totals in the experimental category have fallen 40 percent in the past decade,” said Sean Elliott, EAA’s vice president of advocacy and safety. “Fatal accidents in homebuilt aircraft have dropped by one-third over that time as well, reflecting a safety culture that is more widely accepted and followed as an important part of the balance of freedom and responsibility that is such an essential element of flying.”