Study recommends airbags for private planes
January 12, 2011, 09:32 am
The National Transportation Safety Board is slated to release a study recommending that private planes install airbags on board, according to the Wall Street Journal. People familiar with the details of the story told the paper that the study found that airbags could potentially mitigate injuries from small aircraft crashes and could, in some cases, prevent death.
The study analyzed the results of approximately two dozen plane crashes over a three-year span and found that overall, airbags had favorable results. As a result, the NTSB has decided to encourage the use of airbags in private planes. Although they cannot make airbag use mandatory, as that power is reserved for the Federal Aviation Administration, Joseph Kolly, head of NTSB's office of research and engineering, told the WSJ that the group's staffers "are going to advocate for their use."
According to WSJ's sources, though many newer general aviation models come with airbags pre-installed, due to the vast number of older planes still in use, less than five percent of existing private planes have the safety technology.
The article also reports that there are 1600 annual general aviation accidents that result in 500 fatalities of pilots and their passengers. These numbers reflect the hazards pilots face and can serve as a reminder of the importance of life insurance for pilots.
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