AIRSEA II / Private aviation
Is Flying Private Safe? What the Research Shows
Private flying deserves confidence when that confidence rests on evidence: qualified crews, a well-maintained aircraft and an operation willing to change or cancel a flight. Research supports looking closely at those standards. It does not support calling every private flight the safest way to travel.
A serious question deserves more than reassurance
Recent incidents, including the November 1, 2026 Learjet 60 crash in Palm Beach County, understandably raise questions about private aviation safety. The NTSB investigation is ongoing. Its findings must establish what happened; a general discussion of safety cannot explain that accident.
The useful question is not whether a private cabin feels safer. It is what protects the flight behind that cabin door. A professional operation should be able to explain its crew standards, maintenance oversight and decision-making process before you commit.
“Private aviation” is not one safety category
A company-owned aircraft flown by paid crews, an owner-flown airplane and a charter flight may all be called private aviation. Their missions, oversight and operating practices differ. Part 91 covers a broad range of operations, including professional corporate flying. Part 135 governs many commercial on-demand operations. Part 121 generally covers airline operations.
The FAA’s Safe Air Charter guidance explains that legitimate charter operators face more demanding training, certification and maintenance requirements than an ordinary private pilot taking friends or family flying. That does not mean every Part 91 flight is amateur-operated, or that a charter certificate removes all risk.
Start with the actual operator and mission, not the label “private.” For an aircraft buyer, this is part of choosing an aircraft that fits the mission and ownership budget.
What the research actually tells us
In its 2024 report, Safety and Industry Data Improvements for Part 135 Operations, the NTSB examined 116 fatal and 460 nonfatal accidents from 2010 through 2022. It reported that Part 135 accident rates had historically exceeded Part 121 rates. It also identified gaps in the data needed to compare different kinds of Part 135 flying.
That matters because on-demand operations include very different missions. A broad charter category is not a clean measurement of professionally operated business jets alone. The report makes a case for stronger risk management and better evidence, not for a blanket “safest” claim.
A newer, independently authored study offers another useful perspective. Janeen Adrion Kochan, Stuart “Kipp” Lau and Paul “BJ” Ransbury’s October 2026 U.S. NTSB Accident Data 2016–2025 analysis estimated the following fixed-wing accident rates using NTSB records and FAA activity data.
Operating categories in one study
U.S. fixed-wing operations, 2016–2025 · estimated rates
Executive/corporate, paid crews
0.17 accidents / 100,000 flight hours
Part 135 on-demand
0.83 accidents / 100,000 flight hours
General aviation business, without paid crews
1.33 accidents / 100,000 flight hours
Source: Kochan, Lau & Ransbury, October 2026, Table 13. Categories are not private-jet-only and are not directly comparable with passenger-airline odds.
These are estimated accidents per 100,000 flight hours, not passenger fatality odds. The study was sponsored by upset-training company APS, was independently authored and was not an NTSB report or endorsement. Its category mapping involves assumptions; 2025 flight hours were extrapolated from the 2022–2024 average. These categories include more than jets, and their missions differ.
The paid-crew category’s lower estimate is encouraging, but does not prove that crews alone caused the difference or that private flying beats airlines. Our conclusion is narrower: the operating model deserves as much attention as the aircraft.
Airline statistics cannot fill that gap. Barnett and Reig Torra’s peer-reviewed 2024 study, Airline safety: Still getting better?, concerns scheduled passenger airlines. Its widely reported safety figures should not be presented as private-jet odds.
Turn confidence into questions you can verify
Good questions produce records and clear answers, not just promises. Use this short checklist when discussing a charter flight or planning a professional ownership operation.
1. Who operates this flight?
For charter, confirm the legal operator and aircraft against the FAA’s current authorization records. A broker’s name alone is not the answer.
2. How current is the crew?
Ask about recent, aircraft-specific training and proficiency checks, crew assignments and how the operation handles fatigue.
3. Who owns the maintenance decision?
Ask who tracks inspections, open discrepancies and return-to-service decisions. A polished cabin is not a maintenance record.
4. What can stop or change the trip?
Ask how weather, runway conditions and flight risk are assessed, and who can delay, divert or cancel without commercial or owner pressure.
The FAA provides a current list of authorized Part 135 operators and aircraft. If a proposed operator or aircraft is missing, seek confirmation through the FAA rather than assuming the omission is harmless.
Ask what the safety management system does today. Under the FAA’s expanded SMS requirements, many existing Part 135 operators have until May 28, 2027 to comply. A future compliance plan is not the same as an active process that identifies hazards and changes decisions.
Buy the operation, not just the airplane
For a prospective owner, safety planning belongs before closing. Budget for the people, training and maintenance needed to operate the chosen aircraft well. Ask an independent aviation professional to assess whether the proposed operating plan fits your missions and resources.
Start with complete aircraft records and maintenance history. Then use the prebuy process to define findings, repairs and closing responsibilities. Neither a prebuy nor an attractive aircraft model replaces ongoing operational discipline.
A sensible ownership discussion includes the trips you actually fly, the airports you use and the flexibility you retain when conditions change. “We must get there today” should never be the business plan behind a flight.
The case for confidence is the standard behind the flight
Private aviation offers compelling flexibility and access. The strongest safety case is not luxury, price or a promise that nothing can go wrong. It is a disciplined operation with capable people, maintained aircraft and a real willingness to say “not today.”
The research gives us reasons to take professional operating standards seriously. It also gives us reasons to reject sweeping claims. Choose an operation whose answers you can verify, and make those standards part of the ownership decision from the start.
AIRSEA II buys, enhances and remarkets business jets. If you are considering an acquisition, discuss your mission and ownership requirements through our aircraft sales and acquisitions team, or call 617-962-4500.
General information, not an operational safety assessment of a specific flight or operator. Sources checked November 3, 2026.