How to Buy an Aircraft Safely

Here are the steps to take in transitioning your new airplane properly and cautiously.

Max Trescott

Monday, April 28, 2025 at 07:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Your goal for that first hundred hours should be to get plenty of flight instruction and gradually expand the envelope of conditions in which you'll fly. [Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Newly purchased aircraft have a significantly higher accident rate, often occurring during initial flights or within weeks, with common factors including stalls, mechanical issues, and first-flight stress.
Pilots must prioritize and budget for comprehensive transition training from an expert in the specific aircraft type, as inadequate familiarity is a major accident factor.
Always bring an experienced pilot, ideally one with expertise in the new aircraft's make and model, along for the initial flights and the trip home to provide critical assistance.
Mitigate external risks such as fatigue and adverse weather by planning extra time for delivery flights and making stops at larger, better-serviced airports.

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One of the major ways that pilots learn about safety is by reading about accidents. And years ago, I noticed a number of aircraft accidents involving newly purchased aircraft.

So, I did a search of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) database using phrases such as “recently purchased,” and sure enough, I found a boatload of accident reports. So many in fact that I created a presentation that I gave several times called, “How to Buy an Airplane and Not Crash on the Way Home.”