Voluntary Incident Feedback in French Private Aviation

In private aviation, procedures for collecting feedback have been established to gather information about unsafe situations related to aircraft use. The REX FFA system, which stands for "Feedback from the French Aeronautical Federation," allows French private pilots to report accidents, incidents, and hazardous events to increase flight safety.

This study explores feedback from the REX FFA system to understand the human factors influencing flight safety. We retrospectively analyzed, using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System, 150 reports submitted between September 2023 and February 2024. Key lessons were also extracted from each report.

Most incidents (64%) involved human factors. Using the HFACS model, we identified 99 unsafe acts, 150 preconditions for unsafe acts, 21 instances of unsafe supervision, and 24 organizational failures. Skill-based errors were the most common unsafe act. Key lessons emphasized the importance of proactive visual scanning, thorough flight preparation, and strict adherence to checklists.

This study highlights the predominance of human error in general aviation incidents. The data collected through the REX FFA system suggest it could be an effective educational tool, enabling pilots to share and learn from their experiences and providing valuable data for proactive corrective measures. Promoting similar systems dedicated to recreational private aviation could further benefit general aviation safety worldwide. Demoulin R, Stalars C. Voluntary incident feedback in French private aviation. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2025; 96(3):228-233.