FAA General Aviation Crashworthiness Program

This paper discusses in depth the FAA Crashworthiness Program for Small Airplanes (propeller-driven) and the on-going efforts being undertaken by various federal agencies in support of this Program. The interrelationship of the three prime areas in aviation safety, airworthiness, human factors, and crashworthiness is pointed out. Earlier emphasis had been placed chiefly on airworthiness with some improvements in the human factor area such as flight-training curriculums. While an improvement in any of these three prime areas will better the safety record, airplane crashes continue to occur in the face of earlier achievements. Emphasis is now increasingly being directed toward crashworthiness, the main objective of which is to provide the best practical crash protection thus increasing occupant survivability. It is hoped that the anticipated involvement of the general aviation industry in crashworthiness will continue and increase.