Safety
The safety record of homebuilts is not as good as certified general aviation aircraft. In the United States, in 2003, amateur-built aircraft experienced a rate of 21.6 accidents per 100,000 flight hours; the overall general aviation accident rate for that year was 6.75 per 100,000 flight hours.
The accident rate for homebuilt aircraft in the USA has long been a concern to the Federal Aviation Administration. At Sun 'n Fun 2010 FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said that homebuilts "account for 10 percent of the GA fleet, but 27 percent of accidents. It's not the builders, but the second owners. We need better transition training." It is important to note that in the USA a person may receive flight instruction, including primary flight training, in an experimental aircraft that he/she owns from any CFI willing to provide such training.
A study released in 2012 by the US National Transportation Safety Board concluded that homebuilt aircraft in the US have an accident rate 3-4 times higher than the rest of the general aviation fleet. Almost 10% of homebuilt accidents occurred on the first flight and 9% of first flights by purchasers of used homebuilts resulted in accidents. The study also identified that powerplant failures and loss of control in-flight accidents were much higher than the same rates for certified aircraft.
Most nations' aviation regulations require amateur-built aircraft to be physically marked as such (for example in the UK "Occupant Warning - This aircraft ... is amateur built." must be displayed), and extra flight testing is usually required before passengers (who are not pilots themselves) can be carried.
Read more about this topic: Homebuilt Aircraft
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