Results of a Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) analysis of 2021 accidents involving airline and corporate jet operations worldwide substantiate the fact that the most frequent mishaps are runway excursions, especially during landing. According to the study, nearly 50 percent of business aircraft accidents and incidents last year were runway excursions, compared with 10 percent for airlines.
Last year, airline passenger and cargo operations suffered 44 accidents, 11 of which were fatal, killing 123 passengers and crew, the report said. Corporate jets were involved in 28 accidents in 2021, with nine being fatal, resulting in 36 passengers and crew killed. Of the fatal business jet accidents, two occurred during all-cargo flights and one during an attempt to steal an aircraft.
Non-fatal runway excursions accounted for approximately 10 percent of the accidents involving airliners last year. Analysis also showed that half of the 28 corporate jet accidents could be categorized as runway excursions.
The FSF study noted that runway excursions are typically less serious than controlled flight into terrain or loss of control-in-flight accidents, although two of the corporate jet aircraft excursions last year were fatal.