Contributor - Accidents and Regulations

Contributor - Accidents and Regulations

Gordon Gilbert

Although worldwide accidents involving business jets increased 24% in the first nine months of this year, those with fatalities dropped by a third and fatalities fell more than 41% year over year (YOY), according to data researched by AIN. Business jets were involved in 25 nonfatal mishaps and six fatal accidents that claimed 17 lives in the first three quarters versus 16 nonfatal crashes, nine fatal accidents, and 29 deaths during the same period in 2025.
A closer look reveals that the improved statistics resulted solely from the non-U.S.-registered business jet segment, whose fatalities dropped by nearly 62% through September compared to 2025. Fatalities from accidents of U.S.-registered business jets increased, however.
In the first nine months, nine crew and passengers died in three accidents, including the first-ever fatal crash of a turbine business aircraft operating under FAR Part 91K fractional operations—the June 16 crash of a Cessna Citation Latitude that killed one of four passengers.
Two other fatal accidents of U.S.-registered business jets occurred in the first nine months: On January 1, six people died in a takeoff accident of a Bombardier Challenger 650, and on January 6, the two pilots were killed in the crash of their Gulfstream 200 during an attempted emergency landing.
In the first nine months, non-U.S.-registered business jets also suffered three fatal crashes: On January 6, a motorcyclist riding on the runway was struck and killed by a private Venezuela-registered Citation S/II that was landing; an India-registered Bombardier Learjet 45XR on a charter flight crashed short of the runway on February 28, taking the lives of all five aboard; and the two pilots died when their Bolivia-registered Citation Bravo crashed while en route on a ferry flight on April 13.
While accidents worldwide of business turboprops in the first nine months decreased versus the comparable time frame in 2025, fatalities climbed nearly 53%. Thirty-four souls lost their lives in six accidents of U.S.-registered turboprops this year compared to 23 fatalities in seven crashes last year. The 48 occupants killed in four charter accidents accounted for the majority of the 73 fatalities in the non-U.S.-registered turboprop segment this year.
Runway excursions continued unabated. On average, there are some 10 excursion reports a month. In September alone, there were 19 such mishaps. To date, none of the events resulted in fatalities, as was the case in the first two quarters of 2025.

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