In the wake of several high-profile accidents and incidents so far in 2025 — at least three that involved general aviation aircraft — even the most seasoned aviation enthusiast may ask themselves the question dominating news headlines: “Is it safe to fly?”
A March 6, 2025, News Hour webinar hosted by the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA’s) Safety Committee and moderated by President and CEO Ed Bolen tackled this very question.
“We recognize that question as both relevant and urgent,” Bolen said.
Noting that while the answer remains a resounding yes, “the purpose of today’s dialogue is not to pat ourselves on the back — it’s to roll up our sleeves.”
While recent events may seem to form a disquieting pattern, it’s important to remember that “safety is not a light switch,” said Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA).
“It wasn’t safe and then unsafe,” Daniels said. “Safety is the managing of risk. As you see risk build up, don’t be quiet about it. Say something so that we can evaluate it.”
Technology has also helped to improve flight safety. Text-based controller pilot datalink communications have improved the accuracy of exchanges between pilots and air traffic control, while the growth of flight data monitoring allows pilots to critique their flying and identify areas for improvement.
Former NASA astronaut Charlie Precourt, chair of the Citation Jet Pilots Association Safety Committee, cited the benefits their members have seen from utilizing such data-driven flight debriefings.
“We found there were high sink rates in the base to final turns,” he explained. “By taking that data and feeding it into specialized training — not ‘box-checking’ — we have more time to dedicate to the things that are causing us trouble.”
When such mistakes are identified, a strong safety culture focuses on learning from these errors to reduce the chances of repeating them, officials noted.
“It’s a lot better to fix the problem than to fix the blame,” said former National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Bruce Landsberg. “Whether it’s on the ATC side or whether it’s on the flight side, everybody’s trying to do the right thing.”
Even the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds precision flight team adopted that approach in 2020 following a series of mishaps, said former Thunderbirds pilot Michael “Thorny” Brewer.
“We actually changed things from grade sheets that were defensive and almost felt punitive in nature, to a written debrief on what we did well, what we could do better, and what we wanted to work on for the next sortie,” he said.
By fostering that mindset throughout the industry, “I feel safe putting my family on aircraft,” Brewer added, “but we can always be better. And I think that discussions like this that are happening and are fostering that incredibly safe culture in aviation.”
Common themes during the discussion included the importance of the foundation of a safety culture, necessary funding for the rapid deployment of safety technologies, and industry-government coordination, communication, and collaboration.
For more on safety issues and best practices to mitigate them, visit NBAA.org/Safety.
You can view the recorded NBAA News Hour here.
