Transport and local government minister Henna Virkkunen has called for the risks of aviation sports to be more closely assessed in the wake of Sunday’s crash in Jämijärvi which killed eight skydiving enthusiasts.
”The Transport Ministry should begin examining the risks of these activities under its own initiative,” Virkkunen told Yle Radio Finland during a special broadcast in the wake of Sunday’s fatal air disaster.
”Naturally we await the final report of of the Air Accident Board’s investigation, but even before then there is good reason to carry out our own risk assessment of aviation sports,” she said.
Virkkunen’s call comes after a string of fatal aviation accidents in Finland, and the steady growth in the popularity of skydiving and other flying-related sports over recent years.
Last year seven people were killed in aviation sport-related incidents, and six died the year before that.
”Of the numerous accidents in the last few years, many have been associated with light aircraft. As a result licensing regulations have been tightened up,” Virkkunen insisted.
Meanwhile Pekka Hentu, aviation director of the Transport Safety Agency, Trafi, described the proportion of light aircraft-related deaths in Finland as ’shocking’, given the small scale of aviation sports in Finland.
”There is a lot of room for improvement in aviation sport safety,” Henttu told Yle on Monday. He said that regulation of the activities will be considered, and said that lessons must be learnt from previous incidents. Possible measures in the future include more stringent requirements regarding the aircraft, equipment, instructors or training.