According to the most recent statistics from aviation safety researcher Robert E. Breiling Associates, business flying got almost 50 percent safer this year. Numbers for the first three quarters show only four fatal accidents this year (23 deaths), compared with 17 fatal accidents in the first nine months of last year, resulting in 46 deaths. The overall U.S. turbine business fleet has had 27 accidents through September this year, compared with 52 last year. The accident record for Part 135 charter operations also improved, with only seven accidents this year, all non-fatal. The first nine months of 2008 saw a total of 17 accidents involving charter ops; five were fatal involving 15 deaths. The report acknowledges that the improvement in safety is undeniably linked to a reduction in overall business aviation traffic of up to 30 percent year-over-year for the same time period.
Business Aviation Gets Safer; But Lower Activity Is Part of the Reason
Key Takeaways:
- Business flying safety significantly improved by almost 50 percent in the first three quarters of the year, with a notable reduction in fatal accidents (4 vs. 17) and deaths (23 vs. 46) compared to the previous year.
- This safety enhancement was also observed in the overall U.S. turbine business fleet, which saw a nearly 50% drop in accidents, and in Part 135 charter operations, which reported only non-fatal accidents this year.
- The improved safety record is directly linked to an estimated 30 percent reduction in overall business aviation traffic during the same time period.
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