GlobalAir – Aviation News
Posted By: James Logue, Logue Aviation
If you own or operate an aircraft, you’ve had that moment of hesitation before a first flight after maintenance. That split-second of doubt. Did they get everything right? That hesitation isn’t paranoia—it’s wisdom.
A new study analyzing 16 years of NTSB accident data confirms what many pilots have long suspected: Your aircraft is at its highest risk of failure immediately after maintenance.
• The risk of an accident or serious incident is 33.8% higher in the first hour after maintenance.
• Elevated risk remains above baseline for at least 31 flight hours.
• The majority of failures stem from maintenance errors or early component failures
This isn’t just an interesting statistic for pilots and aircraft owners, it’s a call to action. Assuming maintenance equals safety is a mistake. You must verify it yourself.
The Maintenance Paradox: Why Risk Increases
It feels counterintuitive. A freshly serviced aircraft should be better, not worse, right? But here’s the problem—maintenance means things were taken apart and put back together. And that process creates risk in three major ways.