Turbine Bizav Accident Fatalities Flat in 1st Half

The 81 fatalities in the first half of this year stemming from turbine business airplane accidents worldwide remained unchanged from a year ago, according to AIN research. But the distribution of fatalities within segments did change year over year.

Non-U.S.-registered business jets were the only segment to witness a significant decrease in accidents in the first six months, while fatalities from accidents involving U.S.-registered business jets ticked up by one more than first-half 2025.

In the first six months, nine people died in three fatal accidents involving U.S.-registered business jets, including one person in the first fatality on record involving a Part 91K fractional ownership operation. On June 16, a NetJets-operated, fractional-share-owned Cessna Citation Latitude landed on a road near Laredo (Texas) International Airport (KLRD) and caught fire after reportedly diverting to KLRD due to an emergency. A passenger was killed in that crash.

The January 25 takeoff crash of a Bombardier Challenger 650 in Bangor, Maine, killing six, is being investigated for exceeding the maximum deicing holdover time when it started its takeoff roll, according to the NTSB’s preliminary report. The pilot, copilot, and four passengers were killed when the aircraft crashed just after liftoff. It was operating as a Part 91 business flight under a night IFR flight plan. Weather was reported as IMC in snow, and the temperature and dew point matched at -16 degrees C/-19 degrees C.

On June 7, a U.S.-registered Gulfstream G200 crashed off the runway during an attempted emergency landing at La Romana International Airport in the Dominican Republic. Both pilots were killed. The flight crew reported an in-flight emergency and their intent to return to the airport. The twinjet was on a planned ferry flight from La Romana to Austin, Texas. Dominican officials are investigating.

Two non-U.S.-registered business jets also suffered fatal accidents in the first half. On January 28, an India-registered Learjet 45XR crashed short of the threshold while attempting a second approach to Baramati Airport in Maharashtra, India. The five occupants perished on the charter flight that originated from Mumbai.

On April 13, a Bolivian-registered, privately operated Citation II lost contact with air traffic control about 30 minutes after departing La Paz before crashing. The two pilots were killed. It had entered a high rate of descent from FL390 until radar contact was lost at 19,375 feet two minutes later.

Twenty-six people lost their lives in five fatal crashes of U.S.-registered business turboprops in the first half, up from 18 fatalities in five accidents in the same timeframe last year. One accident alone claimed 12 lives: on June 14, the pilot and 11 jumpers died in the crash of a U.S.-registered Pacific Aerospace 750XL turboprop single.

Thirty-nine people perished in five accidents of non-U.S.-registered turboprops in the first six months, including all 14 aboard a chartered Cessna Caravan that crashed in South Sudan on April 27, and a pilot and 10 jumpers on a Pilatus Turbo Porter that crashed in France on June 28. In the first half of last year, there were six accidents involving non-U.S.-registered turboprops that killed 40 people.