Do we know how many pilots succumb to death in an airplane? With an average fatal accident rate of around 1 in 100,000, it comes down to how many hours a pilot spends in an airplane. I’m guessing 1000 hours in a lifetime. 50 hours a year is pretty common in the GA community and I’m figuring 20 years of involvement. Does anyone have a better number? 1000 hours is 1% of 100,000. 1 in 100. The accident rate on a per mile or per flight basis isn’t too bad and a reasonable risk for in