Insurance During Training

[nkoenig]

As a student does ATP require you to have some type of liability insurance? What happens if there is an accident and its your fault?
Has ATP even had any accidents?

[jbp1]

I am almost positive that ATP's insurance covers the student and the instructors.

As far as accidents, ATP has only had one fatal accident in the 21 years that they have been operating. There have been your select gear ups and gear collapses and a couple of bellying the aircraft into fields, but no injuries. Out of those incidents, they can be counted on two hands.

Go to www.ntsb.gov and search the aircraft accident database. In the airline/operator block, enter Airline Transport Professionals. There is not but a couple of reports in there.

Most if not all of the accidents that have occured at ATP have been with an instructor or examiner on board. I don't think that ATP has ever had aircraft accident with just students on board. If one does occur and you are found to be at fault, then that is up to ATP management and the FAA.

Hope this helps.

[Tram]

You get to sign a new training contract when you do any training..

Which, essentially says.. we won't sue you if you crash, if you don't sue us, when you crash..

[nkoenig]

Thanks guys..

I was just curious

[Heath]

As a former insurance consultant and a former ATP instructor, I can tell you the training contract is pretty good.

Basically, you waive the right to sue for any injuries you might sustain, acknowledging that you realize flight training is a dangerous activity. In return, ATP waives their, and the insurance company's right to subrogate against you to recoup the cost of damages to any aircraft that is damaged in an accident where you're found at fault.

All in all a pretty good trade, given that assumption of risk on your part is a pretty solid defense they'd have anyway, you're gaining much more than they are.

HTH,
Heath