Paper Summary
Paperzilla title
Cloudy with a Chance of Crashing: Weather Still a Major Factor in General Aviation Accidents, But Onboard Gadgets Remain a Mystery
Weather remains a significant factor in general aviation accidents, with cloudy conditions, gusts, and crosswinds frequently cited in NTSB reports. However, the use and effectiveness of onboard weather equipment remain unclear due to inconsistent reporting and the difficulty of determining causality from narrative data.
Possible Conflicts of Interest
None identified
Identified Weaknesses
Subjectivity in Data Interpretation
The study relies on subjective interpretation of narrative data from NTSB and ASRS reports, which can introduce bias and make it challenging to categorize incidents consistently.
Inconsistent Reporting of Onboard Weather Equipment
The lack of consistent reporting and documentation of onboard weather equipment usage in accident reports makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about its impact on accident rates.
The study does not control for other factors that could contribute to aviation accidents, such as pilot experience or aircraft maintenance, making it hard to isolate the impact of weather.
The relatively small sample size of accidents involving onboard weather equipment limits the statistical power of the study and may not accurately represent the broader population.
Rating Explanation
This study provides valuable descriptive statistics about weather-related aviation accidents but suffers from methodological limitations that prevent stronger causal inferences. The lack of control for confounding factors and inconsistent reporting of onboard weather equipment usage hinder the ability to draw definitive conclusions.
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File Information
Original Title:
Analysis of Weather-Related Accident and Incident Data Associated with Section 14 CFR Part 91 Operations
Uploaded:
July 14, 2025 at 07:02 AM
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