Accidents of U.S.-registered business jets resulting in fatalities doubled from two to four in 2018 versus 2017, and the number of fatalities more than tripled, from three to 10 year over year, according to preliminary data compiled by AIN. Nonfatal accidents and incidents of N-numbered business jets also increased year over year.

Notably, all four fatal accidents last year occurred under Part 91; three of the four involved single-pilot operation; and the fourth was being flown by an unqualified crew. The first fatal accident of last year occurred on April 15 when a Cessna Citation 525 on a Part 91 personal flight hit terrain in night IMC, although no flight plan was filed. The private pilot and sole occupant was killed.

On September 27, the two pilots died when their Dassault Falcon 50 on a Part 91 personal flight overran the runway while landing in day VMC. The NTSB’s preliminary investigation revealed that neither pilot was legally qualified to fly the tri-engine business jet.

Last year closed out with two single-pilot fatal Citation accidents, both of which occurred shortly after takeoff. The pilot and two passengers aboard a Citation 525A perished on November 30 when the twinjet crashed a few minutes after takeoff on a planned Part 91 business flight. The last fatal accident in 2018 occurred on December 20 when a Citation 560 crashed shortly after takeoff in IMC. The pilot and the three other occupants were killed.

Non-U.S. Jets Fatalities Drop

Non-U.S. business jets were involved in three accidents that resulted in 16 fatalities last year compared to 19 people killed in four fatal accidents in 2017. Eleven of the fatalities in 2018 died in a single crash of a privately operated Turkish-registered Bombardier Challenger 604. 

Probably the most unusual fatal accident last year happened on January 5 when the captain of an Austria-registered Gulfstream G150 died from injuries sustained when the passenger door blew open as he was trying to open it. The jet was being readied for flight, the flight attendant was inside, the APU was running, and the cabin was being heated. Investigators concluded that the cabin was “over-pressurized” and once the door locking mechanism was released, it “blew open by force striking the captain.”     

Accidents, fatalities, and incidents from crashes of both U.S. and non-U.S. business turboprops decreased significantly in 2018 compared to 2017 across regulatory operating segments. The highest number of fatalities (five) in a single U.S. turboprop accident occurred on October 25 when a Piper Cheyenne on a Part 91 personal flight suddenly started descending after climbing through 24,000 feet to its assigned altitude of FL250. During the descent the pilot transmitted “emergency, emergency.” The twin-turboprop crashed into the ocean with the loss of all five aboard.

Included in the "nonfatal" statistics category for 2018 are two day VMC accidents involving collisions between turbine airplanes and piston airplanes in which fatalities occurred in the non-turbine aircraft. On April 2, a Cessna 150 on takeoff hit a Cessna Citation 525 rolling out on an intersecting runway and then crashed into the ground. The two people in the single-engine piston airplane were killed. The pilot and four passengers in the twinjet were unhurt. 

On November 4, a Canadian-registered privately operated Piper Cheyenne III with a pilot and one passenger aboard was hit from below by a Cessna 150. The sole pilot in the Cessna died in a crash after the collision. There were no injuries to the two people in the damaged twin-turboprop that was able to make an uneventful landing.

AIN’s data does not include the August 13 crash of a CitationJet that killed the sole-occupant pilot since it was an intentional act.