Questions:
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2.  How do private airplanes compare to other recreational vehicles?

3.  What are the most common causes of small airplane accidents?

4.  How safe are Cessna 150-152's compared to other small airplanes?

5.  What is being done to make flying safer?

Answers:

Q.

 1. Is flying a small private plane dangerous?

A:

You may have heard that flying an airplane is safer than driving a car, but this is not quite true. Because airplanes travel in a different environment than other vehicles, it's impossible to make a direct statistical comparison, but in terms of danger to life and limb, flying a small airplane is roughly equivalent to riding a motorcycle, or piloting a private boat.
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Q.

2. How do private airplanes compare to other recreational vehicles ?

A:

Airplanes are less likely to crash than motorcycles or boats, but because gravity is so unforgiving, there is more risk of injury or death in an airplane crash. The good news is that the vast majority of small airplane accidents are NOT FATAL. For decades both the aviation industry and governmental agencies have focused on making flying safer. Private aviation safety has been steadily improving year after year, for more than 50 years now.
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Q.

3. What are the most common causes of small airplane accidents ?

A:

Nearly all small airplane accidents are caused by human error. It is quite rare for a properly maintained airplane to have mechanical problems that cause it to crash. When mechanical problems do occur, a well trained and prepared pilot can usually take action that will avoid a serious accident.

The most common causes of small airplane accidents are completely avoidable. For example: A common cause of accidents is running out of fuel before arriving at the destination airport. Cessna 150-152's are able to carry at least enough fuel for a 3 hour flight without refueling, but some pilots neglect to make sure they have enough fuel for the flight. Another avoidable mistake is flying into bad weather, or in conditions where the pilot can't see well enough to fly visually.  ( known as VFR: Visual Flight Rules ). The most famous victim of this kind of mistake was John F. Kennedy Jr. Yet another avoidable mistake is flying through a busy area without the guidance of air traffic controllers, and running into another airplane.

Since most of the risks in flying are caused by human error, a pilot can greatly reduce the risk of flying by making good decisions, and by making certain that his airplane is well maintained and ready for flight.
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Q.

4. How safe are Cessna 150-152's compared to other small airplanes ?

A:

The Short Answer: Cessna 150-152's are one of the safest airplanes ever built. Cessna 150-152's are simple, sturdy airplanes, designed for training pilots. They do not have complicated engines, propellers, or landing gear, there is simply not much to break on a Cessna 150-152.

The Longer Answer: There are more Cessna 150-152 accidents on record than any other small private airplane. Why? If it's such a safe airplane, why are there so many accidents? Doesn't this make Cessna 150-152's the most dangerous small airplanes? Actually No. Here's Why:

There are two specific reasons why there are so many Cessna 150-152 accidents on record. First and foremost, there are more Cessna 150-152's flying than any other two seat private airplane. Most small airplane models were manufactured in the hundreds at most, but Cessna made over 30,000 Cessna 150-152's over a 26 period. Even though Cessna 150-152 production stopped 20 years ago, there are still more than 20,000 Cessna 150-152's  flying worldwide. The second reason that Cessna 150-152's show up so often in the accident reports is that they are most commonly used for flight training, or flown by inexperienced pilots. Most training accidents are relatively minor, and don't involve serious injury. For example, it is quite common for a student pilot to run off the side of the runway on landing and hit a fence or end up in a ditch.

Here's a simple statistical comparison of small two seat airplane accidents that shows how Cessna 150-152's are actually safer than a similar Piper model in spite of being in more total accidents:

In 2003 there were 136 Cessna 150-152 accidents in the USA, 13 of them resulting in fatalities. During the same year, The Piper PA-38 Tomahawk had 18 accidents, 2 fatal. There were 18,420 US registered Cessna 150-152's, and Just 1,039 Tomahawks. This means statistically: 6% of all the Piper Tomahawks had accidents in one year, but fewer than 1% of the Cessna 150-152's did. One in nine Tomahawk accidents resulted in fatalities, one in eleven Cessna 150-152's did. This in spite of the fact that very few of the Tomahawks were flown by student pilots, but more than half of the Cessnas were. Nearly two thirds of all the 2003 Cessna 150-152 accidents were either minor accidents by student pilots, or the result of common human errors such as running out of fuel  (as described above in question 3).
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Q.

5. What is being done to make flying safer ?

A:

Maintenance: The legal requirements for maintaining a certified airplane are much more rigorous than for any other privately owned vehicle. All parts used to construct and maintain the airplane must be approved by the FAA, maintenance must be performed by specially trained and licensed mechanics, and a written log of all all service work is kept for each airplane. Most cars get oil changes, tune ups, and a smog check every couple of years, Every single licensed airplane is thoroughly inspected top to bottom, front to back, inside and out, every single year.

Pilots: In order to become a licensed pilot, an individual must undergo a medical examination to prove that they are in good health. Next the individual must undergo a minimum of 45 hours of flight training, and pass both a written test and a flying test. Even after obtaining a license, a pilot must undergo a flight review with a qualified instructor every two years, and pass a medical exam a minimum of every two or three years. (depending on age).

Technology: New systems are being brought to market that greatly increase flying safety. Once upon a time a common cause of accidents was navigation errors that caused a pilot to become lost and run out of fuel. Thanks to the GPS revolution, getting lost is now one of the least common causes of airplane accidents. Weather and collisions with other airplanes are the two biggest risks remaining, both are being addressed by new technologies that will likely become as affordable and widely used as GPS is now.
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