Away from its strong presence in the regional passenger jet market, Embraer also makes a living by producing private aircraft. Its portfolio of such aircraft includes the Legacy series, whose variants we took a look at last week. However, at the smaller end of the size spectrum, it also has a two-variant family known as the Phenom.
The Phenom 100
It has been just over 15 years since the Embraer Phenom 100 took its first flight, with this milestone occurring on July 26th, 2007. This came just over two years after the development of very light and light business jets by Embraer’s board, a motion that was passed in April 2005. The Brazilian manufacturer wasted no time in putting this into action, and it announced the Phenom 100 in November that year.
Following the very light jet’s test flight, the Phenom 100 received certification from the Brazilian authorities in December 2008. This preceded the first delivery of the type to a customer, which took place later that month. At the end of 2021, almost 400 examples of the type had been built, with its production continuing today.
Specifications-wise, the jet can hold a maximum of seven passengers, although standard configurations typically have space for just four or five. A single pilot can fly the jet, but its cockpit has space for two. With a typical cruise speed of 750 km/h (400 knots), the 12.82-meter-long jet has a range of 2,182 km (1,178 NM).
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The Phenom 300
The year after the Phenom 100 made its first flight, a larger variant known as the Phenom 300 (or EMB-505) also took to the skies. Embraer opted to manufacture a stretched version of its initial Phenom 100 design after finding that its customers were also interested in a larger variant of the type. After first flying in April 2008, it was granted certification in December 2009. That month also saw its first delivery.
The Phenom 300 is almost three meters longer than the smaller 100 variant, clocking in at 15.64 meters n length. This allows its maximum capacity to rise to 10 passengers, although standard configurations typically seat just six guests.
Classified as a light business jet, the Phenom 300 can also be flown by a single pilot. In recent years, Embraer launched an upgraded version of the variant known as the 300E. This iteration has a range of 3,723 km (2,010 NM), and can fly at speeds of up to 859 km/h (464 knots). May 2021 marked the 300’s 600th delivery.
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One fatal accident each
According to the Aviation Safety Network, the Embraer Phenom 100 has been involved in nine hull loss incidents, with one of these sadly resulting in six fatalities (three onboard, three on the ground). This occurred in 2014 after the pilot failed to engage the jet’s de-icing system on approach to Gaithersburg-Montgomery County Airport, resulting in a stall that caused it to crash into a house.
Meanwhile, the Phenom 300 has been involved in just three hull losses. The only fatal one of these took place in 2015 when an excessive workload resulted in a pilot error while landing at Blackbushe Airport. This prompted a runway overshoot that caused the jet to crash in a neighboring car park, killing all four occupants.
