Business Jet Accident Rate Stable, Turboprop Rate Rises

Five accidents involving business jets occurred in the first half of this year, the same number as in the first six months of 2009, according to Boca Raton, Fla.-based business aviation safety analyst Robert E. Breiling Associates. While no fatal business jet accidents occurred in the first half of last year, however, there was one such accident in the first half of this year--the January crash of a cargo-carrying Learjet 35A near Chicago that killed two crewmembers. Accidents increased for turboprop business aircraft, meanwhile, with 24 crashes in the first half of 2010, up from 14 in the first six months of last year. Of those 24 accidents, three were fatal, resulting in seven deaths. Part 135 turboprop operations saw the worst safety erosion, with 14 crashes in the first half, more than triple the number in the same period last year.