In 2021 general aviation, which statement best describes the relationship between total accidents and the accident rate?

• A. Both total accidents and rate increased
• B. Both total accidents and rate decreased
• C. Total accidents increased while rate decreased due to more flight activity
• D. Total accidents decreased while rate increased

Answer: (C)

Accident rate is calculated as the number of accidents per unit of flight activity (usually per 100,000 flight hours). It measures risk per hour, not just how many accidents happen in total.

When flight activity jumps, you have more hours of exposure. If accidents don’t rise as quickly as the hours, the rate can actually fall even though the total number of accidents increases. That’s why you can see more accidents in total but a lower rate.

In 2021, general aviation activity rebounded and flight hours increased substantially. The total number of accidents rose with the larger amount of flying, but the rate decreased because the increase in flight hours outpaced the increase in accidents.