The follow-up and investigation of incidents and occurrences
is based on reports made to the Flight Safety Authority. The
Flight Safety Authority received 449 air safety reports in
2003, which was 62 fewer than in the previous year.
Flight Safety reports are divided into categories of seriousness,
with investigation of the serious cases beginning immediately
to ascertain the causes of the incident. The categories of
seriousness as defined by the International Civil Aviation
Organisation and the joint European air traffic control organisation,
Eurocontrol, are: accidents; serious incidents; incidents
and occurrences, in which safety has not been threatened;
and cases where the anomaly could not be identified.
There were no accidents involving commercial aviation in Finland.
There were two serious incidents, seven incidents and one
case of aircraft damage. Two accidents resulting in death
occurred in general aviation, in which four people died altogether.
One accident involved a small aircraft flying into cloud without
instrument flying experience and the appropriate qualifications.
Eight incidents occurred in general aviation which resulted
in aircraft damage.
In recreational flying there were six cases of damage to sail
planes and nine cases of damage to ultralight aircraft, as
well as one accident resulting in injury. Two fatal accidents
occurred in parachuting and paragliding, one of which killed
a parachutist and the other a pilot of a powered paraglider.
The Flight Safety Authority passes all air safety reports
on to the accident investigation centre of the Ministry of
Justice. The accident investigation centre opened investigations
into 12 accident and incident cases. Eight of these involved
commercial aviation, three involved general aviation and one
recreational aviation.
