Bizav Accidents Declined in 2009

Last year's decline in flight activity may have helped to produce at least one bit of good news: the number of U.S. business aircraft accidents dropped substantially from 2008 to 2009. That's according to year-end statistics released by industry safety analyst Robert E. Breiling Associates. The number of accidents involving U.S.-registered business jets declined dramatically, from 23 in 2008 to eight in 2009. The lone fatal 2009 business jet accident came in December when a Falcon 20D crashed in the Bahamas, killing its two-member crew. By contrast, five fatal accidents involving U.S.-registered business jets occurred in 2008 for a total of 20 deaths. Among turboprops, the number of accidents declined only from 41 in 2008 to 36 last year but the number of fatal accidents decreased by more than half, from 18 in 2008 to just seven last year.