The number of U.S.-registered business turbine airplanes involved in fatal accidents and consequent lives lost continued their nosedive as a result of the fewer flying hours this year stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first three quarters, 19 people were killed in seven accidents of U.S.-registered business jets and turboprops versus 57 people killed in 13 accidents in the first nine months of last year.
The February 8 in-flight break-up of a Cessna Citation 501 in which the two pilots and two passengers died was the only fatal U.S. jet accident in the first nine months, compared with 21 people killed in five business jet fatal accidents in the same period of 2019. Six U.S.-registered turboprop accidents, resulting in 15 fatalities, were logged in the first three quarters, compared with eight accidents and 36 fatalities last year.
However, the number of fatal crashes involving non-U.S.-registered business jets took the opposite trend, despite the impact of the pandemic on reducing worldwide flight operations. Fourteen people died in four non-N-numbered business jet accidents in the first three quarters versus one fatality in the same period last year.
Non-U.S.-registered turboprops suffered nine deaths in two accidents in the first nine months versus 17 killed in four crashes in the same period in 2019.