First, the Congress enacted the General Aviation  Revitalization Act (GARA), which established an 18-year statute of repose  for lawsuits against manufacturers of general aviation aircraft, parts, and  components. GARA was  enacted in 1994 with the goal of revitalizing the industry by limiting   product liability costs. Manufacturing and Activity Indicators Declined in the 1980s and Early 1990s

In the years prior to GARA, general aviation manufacturing indicators  declined significantly. 3.) There was, however, limited growth in certain segments. Trends Suggest That Since GARA, Product Liability Costs Have Fallen and Aircraft Manufacturing Has Rebounded

The Congress passed GARA in 1994 in an attempt to reverse the downward  trends in general aviation manufacturing by limiting the financial burden  created by product liability concerns. 7.) Airport Infrastructure

The amount of federal funding available for capital development at general  aviation airports has consistently been below what has been requested by  airport officials to support their airports’ planned projects. However, there is not enough federal money available to fund all planned  projects; the annual capital development that has been planned for these  airports and that is eligible for federal funding would cost at least $884  million more than the federal funding provided in 2000. More than two-thirds of general  aviation accidents, both fatal and nonfatal, are caused by pilot error,  including mistakes related to procedure, skill, and judgment. Safety of General Aviation Has Improved More Rapidly Than Safety of Scheduled Commercial Aviation

In 1998, the accident rate for general aviation—the number of accidents per  100,000 flight hours—was about 24 times higher that for scheduled  commercial airlines, accounting for 97 percent of the accidents and 99  percent of the deaths. One  broad initiative, Safer Skies, was developed with the general aviation  industry to improve the safety record of commercial and general aviation. Most  initiatives and recommendations seek to enhance safety through  improvements in three areas: training, technology, and the procedures that  are designed to govern operations such as takeoffs, landings, and flight  patterns.
What GAO Found

Over the past decade, the booming growth in scheduled commercial airline traffic has tended to obscure developments in another part of the aviation industry--general aviation. General aviation covers all civil aircraft not flown by commercial airlines or the military. In 1994, concerned that general aviation was in decline, Congress passed the General Aviation Revitalization Act (GARA), which sought to boost the industry by placing limitations on product liability lawsuits against aircraft manufacturers. Trends show that there was a decline in most general aviation indicators prior to the 1994 enactment of GARA and that this decline reversed in the years after GARA--sharply in manufacturing indicators and to a lesser extent in flying activity indicators. Trends in general aviation since GARA was enacted suggest that the law has reduced manufacturers' liability concerns, leading to a rebound in the manufacturing industry. The amount of federal funding available for capital development at general aviation airports has consistently been below what has been requested by the airport officials to fund their airports' planned projects. In 2000, for example, the amount of federal funding available was almost $900 million short of what was requested to fund airports' eligible planned projects. The safety of general aviation has been improving. The total number of accidents declined from 3,233 in 1982 to 1,989 in 1998--a decrease of 41 percent--while the accident rate fell from about 10 to about 7 accidents for every 100,000 flight hours. More than two-thirds of general aviation's accidents, both fatal and nonfatal, are caused by pilot error, including mistakes related to procedure, skill, and judgment. Besides determining the requirements for pilot certification, the Federal Aviation Administration oversees the safety of general aviation by working with federal agencies and industry groups to identify safety improvements. Most initiatives seek to enhance safety in one of three areas: training, technology, and the procedures that are designed to govern such operations as takeoffs, landings, and flight patterns.