National Aviation Weather Program
10-Year Accident Reduction Initiative

Final Report

FCM-R31-2010

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This report chronicles key events that led to a concerted effort to improve the quality of aviation weather support, the details of that effort, and the results in terms of reduced weather-related aviation accidents. As a matter of necessity, a lot of detail on accident rates and trends is provided. However, the take-home message is not in the detail but rather in the overall illustration of what can be accomplished when a community sets goals, develops innovative and actionable plans to address those goals, and tracks progress to gauge success.

The question we must address today is how to maintain the progress of the aviation weather community going forward in parallel with the significant investments being made in NextGen Net-Enabled Weather (NNEW)—especially in the 4D weather cube and in weather integration. The results of this report provide insights into hazard areas most in need of continued attention, and the processes employed in this 10-year effort, including both tracking initiatives and demonstrating performance, provide a model for the National Aviation Weather Program to move forward with an aviation weather “maintenance program” that provides a firm foundation for NextGen weather.