The General Aviation Joint Safety Committee (GAJSC) is the primary vehicle for government–industry cooperation, communication, and coordination on GA accident reduction. GAJSC findings reveal common pilot errors, while GAJSC recommendations provide mitigation strategies to reduce GA fatalities. Pilots and flight instructors should apply GAJSC findings and recommendations to their plans of action as they pertain to personal currency programs, pilot proficiency training, flight reviews, and instrument proficiency checks (IPC). For these reasons, the FAA encourages pilots and flight instructors to keep informed on GAJSC findings and recommendations. You can find additional information about the GAJSC online at https://www.gajsc.org.

The GAJSC cites LOC as one of the six most critical and common causes of GA accidents. Further, LOC was the number one cause of GA fatalities from 2012 through 2021. LOC refers to aircraft accidents that result from
situations in which a pilot should have maintained (or should have regained) aircraft control but failed to do so. In some cases, training accidents occurred because the pilots were not in agreement as to who should be manipulating the flight controls. A recommended three-step process of exchange includes a verbal handoff from the pilot flying, verbal acceptance by the pilot taking over, and a verbal and visual confirmation
that the exchange has taken place by the pilot relinquishing control. This procedure should be briefed before flight and include a method to relinquish and take control of the aircraft when normal communications are not possible (e.g., tandem cockpit interphone failure or wind noise). Pilots and flight instructors are encouraged to practice and use aircraft control handoff procedures on every instructional flight. In addition, flight instructors need to maintain diligence while providing instruction. A flight instructor
should always be in a position to take over control of the aircraft when doubt exists as to the safe outcome of any maneuver. The FAA reminds pilots and flight instructors to regularly evaluate (and elevate) procedures and skills to avoid, recognize, and recover from emergencies such as LOC.

Studies have shown that LOC usually occurs when pilots lack proficiency. Conditions exceeding personal skill limitations can present themselves at any time and can occur unexpectedly. In this event, the pilot should be able to avoid being startled, make appropriate decisions in a timely manner, and be able to exercise
skills at a proficiency level the pilot may not have maintained or attained since acquired during initial training. This makes personal currency programs and proficiency training essential. Personal currency programs serve to develop and maintain pilot proficiency by promoting attributes such as aeronautical knowledge, aeronautical skill, and ADM. These attributes collectively determine the degree of aeronautical ability a pilot possesses. Highly proficient pilots are better able to avoid or manage an in-flight emergency in a safe and efficient manner. Consequently, the GAJSC recommends that pilots place emphasis on their specific proficiency needs by including training that may exceed regulatory minimum currency requirements.

LOC accidents often occur while pilots are maneuvering at low altitude and airspeed, such as in an airport traffic pattern. Pilots should adopt, and flight instructors should promote, training programs designed to reduce the risk of GA accidents in traffic pattern operations. Flight instructors should provide training to mitigate the three areas of highest risk involving maneuvering an airplane in an airport traffic pattern. The first area is the risk of a departure stall; the second area is the risk of LOC if attempting to return to the field after an engine failure on takeoff; and the third area is the risk of LOC on the base to final turn.

Flight instructors should emphasize training that ensures that pilots of small single-engine airplanes depart in coordinated flight at the speed for best rate of climb (VY) for normal takeoffs and maintain this speed to the altitude necessary for a safe return to the airport in the event of an emergency. Flight
instructors should train pilots of single-engine airplanes not to return to the field after an engine failure unless altitude and best glide requirements permit. Accordingly, flight instructors should provide training that emphasizes the correct speeds at which light twin-piston aircraft depart the runway. Flight
instructors should emphasize that a departure at the speed for best angle of climb (VX) is used for obstacle clearance and short-field takeoff procedures.

Flight instructors should also emphasize the risks and potential consequences of climbing out at speeds less or greater than what is required for a particular type of takeoff. Flight instructors should train pilots of single-engine airplanes not to return to the field after an engine failure unless altitude and best glide
requirements permit a safe return. Therefore, flight instructors should not routinely train pilots to make a 180-degree turn from a simulated engine failure while climbing. However, this training should occur at a safe altitude. A critical part of conducting this training is for the flight instructor to be fully
aware of the need for diligence, the need to perform this maneuver properly, and to avoid any potential for an accelerated stall in the turn. It is essential for a pilot to know the altitude that will be lost in a 180-degree turn, in the specific make and model (M/M) flown, for when a pilot considers turning back to the departure airport at best glide. Flight instructors should also emphasize that a return to the runway the pilot just took off from will require more than a 180-degree turn. During the before-takeoff check, the expected loss of altitude in the turn, plus a sufficient safety factor, should be related to the absolute altitude at which a turnback may be attempted. In addition, the effect of existing winds on the preferred direction of a turnback should be briefed.

Flight instructors should also teach pilots to reject an approach and initiate a go-around when the pilot cannot maintain a stabilized approach. The GAJSC recommends that pilots and flight instructors emphasize stabilized approach and landing proficiency and conduct stabilized approaches as a standard practice. Flight reviews and IPCs should emphasize evaluating a pilot’s ADM, departure skills, and ability to establish and maintain a stabilized approach and landing, while applying effective crosswind techniques to avoid the risk of LOC when maneuvering in an airport traffic pattern. Effective scenario-based training, emphasizing ADM, departures, and establishing and maintaining a stabilized approach to a landing, reduces the risk of LOC in an airport traffic pattern. Many of the principles discussed in this paragraph apply to multiengine aircraft, but do not apply to single-engine operations in the multiengine airplane. Flight instructors should emphasize the correct speeds at which light twin-piston aircraft are operated in the traffic pattern and provide training in response to an engine failure in a variety of situations.

Under most circumstances, the airplane should be stabilized by 1,000 feet above airport elevation in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and by 500 feet above airport elevation during straight-in approaches in visual meteorological conditions (VMC). Pilots should monitor at least seven major elements that define a stabilized approach in a GA airplane. The FAA considers an approach to touchdown to be stabilized when the airplane meets all of the following criteria, with only minor deviations:

The airplane is on the correct flightpath. Typically, the glidepath is 3 degrees to the runway touchdown zone (TDZ) (obstructions permitting).