So the NTSB released their most wanted list, and two aviation topics were part of the list this year. The one I would like to focus on is identify and communicate hazardous weather. Its no secret that GA aviation has the highest rate of accidents, as its the branch of aviation with the most pilots and the ones with the lowest flight times. It's a fact however, that two thirds of these accidents happen in metrological conditions (IMC) http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/mwl7_2014.html.
IMC conditions, at least from a textbook sense are probably the most dangerous flying a pilot can do. Its not the fact that the weather is a hazard, as pilots can be taught how to fly in IMC conditions, more so the fact that its hard to teach pilots when to recognize that something is out of their skillset to fly through. One aspect that I found interesting about the report is that it lacked VFR pilots flying into IFR conditions. This is something that certainly needs to be attended to as much as IFR pilots flying into conditions they can't fly out of.
Concerning both of these making the list, I do believe both are some of the biggest problems in aviation. Helicopters in terms of accidents tend to be higher then even GA aircraft, or at least have the perception that they are not as safe. Helicopter pilots are held to the same standard as other GA pilots, but their area of operation is inherently more dangerous, due to their proximity to the ground, or buildings. Because of this, a better focus is required. GA pilots crashing in IMC conditions is just as big an issue, for both loss of life and materials. This high figure also leads to an unnecessary focus on aviation crashes.
Lastly, I see many more jobs being created by the helicopter accident focus then I do the GA problem. The GA problem may be addressed by a simple program, or addition of new training for CFI-II pilots to both recognize when these pilots make poor decisions. The helicopter issue however, is going to require a more in depth look, to both identify how the hazards effect the pilots and what sort of training is going to have to be added to the license process of helicopter pilots.
I agree with you about it being "hard to teach pilots when to recognize that something is out of their skill set to fly through." -referring to weather. Pilots, by training, are very familiar and educated - when it comes to meteorological information. A pilot really would not know what they could handle flying through until they actually attempt to do it. On top of that, by attempting to flying through something like a storm, if it went well one time - that does not mean that it will go as smooth the second time. It may be necessary for a pilot to practice flying through these conditions; as dangerous as that sounds. Of course no pilot should willingly fly through a storm, but if they found themselves in a situation that required them to do things that they are not accustomed to through their flight training, then they may be out of luck. Maybe a mandatory amount of flight simulator time for practice flying in some of these situations would help a lot of pilots.
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