According to the air safety foundation, general aviation accidents tend to run in trends. In the ten years preceding 2003, the National Transportation Safety Board noted that neglecting fuel levels was a significant problem. Accidents in single engine planes was a problem but always has been due to the fact that there is no back up engine in case of failure. General aviation accidents also had increased due to a higher number of in-flight hours by the pilots. Weather had a significant impact on the number of general aviation accidents during that time frame as well. From the year 2003 until 2006 there seemed to be a decrease in the amount of general aviation accidents. The FAA and the entire aviation industry was proclaiming safer planes and safer skies. Then, in 2009, general aviation accidents took an upward trend and also a deadly one. In the first seven months of 2009, general aviation accidents were responsible for 500 fatalities. Again, that is just in the first several months which leaves one wondering what the final tally may be. Overall, this increase ruins the averages for the entire decade since it is the highest number of general aviation accidents and fatalities since 2002.