Accidents involving business airplanes operating as private and air taxi operations in Canada nearly doubled last year from 2022, according to preliminary data published by the country’s Transportation Safety Board. All of the accidents, except one, were non-fatal.
These business aviation operations accounted for 18 of 126 total fixed-wing accidents (14.2 percent) in 2023 versus nine accidents out of 120 total fixed-wing accidents (7.5 percent) in 2022. In each year, there was one fatal accident—both by an air taxi operator of a non-jet airplane. The TSB’s accident statistics for propeller airplanes are not delineated by type of powerplant.
Private business airplanes experienced three accidents in 2023 and zero accidents in 2022. Air taxi operations with non-jet airplanes (combined turboprops and piston-engined) suffered 12 non-fatal accidents in 2023 compared to eight in 2022. Air taxi operations with business jets were involved in three non-fatal accidents last year versus one in 2022.
The number of incidents by air taxi and airline operators of airplanes with a mtow greater than 12,500 pounds increased 12.7 percent year-over-year: 833 compared to 727.