Four fatal U.S.-registered business jet accidents, three of them while under Part 91 personal flights, claimed the lives of nine people in the first half of this year versus zero such fatalities in all of 2022. Separately, two people were killed in one non-U.S-registered special missions business jet accident in the first six months, compared with six who perished in one non-U.S-registered charter jet crash in the same period last year.
On January 2, an Embraer Phenom 300 crashed after the pilot lost control during takeoff from Provo, Utah, on a planned Part 91 flight. The pilot was killed and the three passengers were injured. Weather was day IMC.
The pilot’s use of an incorrect checklist to respond to one of multiple EICAS messages preceded a sudden and fatal in-flight upset of a Bombardier Challenger 300 during a Part 91 flight on March 3. A passenger injured during the upset later died in the hospital.
An emergency call was made by the crew of a Bombardier Learjet 36A moments before it crashed into the sea off the coast of California on May 10. The two civilian pilots and a third crewmember perished. The pilots of a second Learjet saw flames coming from around the aft equipment door of the accident aircraft.
Depressurization or other systems failure that deprived the pilot and his three passengers of oxygen are being investigated as a possible cause for the June 4 fatal accident of a Cessna Citation. The jet flew past its intended destination, made an inexplicable 180-degree turn, and continued until it apparently ran out of fuel.
Meanwhile, on May 15 a civilian German-registered Learjet 35A on a target towing mission for the German Air Force crashed on takeoff, killing both pilots.
Five accidents involving U.S.-registered turboprops took 17 lives in the first six months of this year, compared with four accidents and 13 fatalities in the same period last year. The fatal accidents in both periods occurred under Part 91, except for the Feb. 24, 2023, in-flight breakup of a Pilatus PC-12 on a Part 135 ambulance flight, killing all five aboard. Non-U.S.-registered turboprops were also involved in five fatal accidents, claiming 11 lives. This matched the number of fatal accidents in the first half of last year, but the fatalities numbered 17.
Runway excursions are typically the most common mishaps for turbine airplanes. In the first half of this year, nearly 30 percent (39) of the 134 accidents and incidents worldwide involving business jets and turboprops were classified as runway excursions. These occurrences caused no fatalities, but some did result in injuries and aircraft damage.