Summary

• There is no doubt that aviation is one of the safest ways to travel.
• However, the private aviation sector has had some incidents over the years, with commercial aviation sporting a much better safety record.
• Still, the Bombardier Global 7500, Cessna Citation Longitude, Dassault Falcon 8X, Gulfstream G500/G600, and Embraer Legacy 500/Praetor 600 are some of the safest private jets in the world.

While air travel has been one of the safest ways to travel, some aircraft, especially within the general aviation sector, have been more prone to accidents than others. What about private jets, which typically fly VIPs? In short, they are safe, but other aircraft have cleaner operating histories than others.

5 Bombardier Global 7500

Fatal crashes since entry-into-service: 0

• Entry-into-service date: December 2018
• Non-fatal incidents: 4

According to the Aviation Safety Network, while the Bombardier Global 7500, much like any other jet on the list, has avoided fatal crashes since it entered into service in December 2018, it still had four non-fatal incidents between March 2022 and August 2023.

For example, on March 31, 2022, a Bombardier Global 7500 experienced a right-hand engine fire as it was taking off from Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (RUH). The aircraft, carrying an unknown amount of people, was forced to turn back to RUH, where it landed safely.

The NTSB’s final report, which detailed what happened to the Global 7500, registered as 9H-VIG, concluded that the probable cause of the incident was a fuel leak from one of the fuel nozzles. The contributing factor was a misalignment between the fuel manifold female ferrule and fuel nozzle male bullnose sealing surfaces, coupled with the distress of the ferrule sealing surface.

In another incident, a Bombardier Global 7500, registered as N899ST, both lower reverser doors touched the runway when it landed at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). However, the Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) has not released a final report about the incident. None of the non-fatal incidents involving Global 7500s have resulted in injuries to people onboard the aircraft.

4 Cessna Citation Longitude

Fatal crashes since entry-into-service: 0

• Entry-into-service date: October 2019
• Non-fatal incidents: 2

Since entering into service in October 2019, the Cessna Citation Longitude has only suffered two incidents involving two US-registered aircraft: N707VM and N828CL. However, both were non-serious and resulted in aircraft safely landing.

The former, N707VM, was forced to turn back to Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT) after it struck a bird, with a post-incident picture showing the bird being stuck to the aircraft’s nose in July 2021.

Meanwhile, the latter suffered an auxiliary power unit (APU) fire, forcing it to turn and land at Corpus Christi International Airport (CRP) on March 20, 2024. The aircraft left CRP three days later, Flightradar24 flight history records showed.

3 Dassault Falcon 8X

Fatal crashes since entry-into-service: 0

• Entry-into-service date: October 2016
• Non-fatal incidents: 1

Since entering into service, the French-built Dassault Falcon 8X, the only trijet on the list, has suffered only a single non-fatal incident. It happened on March 5, 2019, when a Falcon 8X, registered as N989JW, contacted the runway while landing at Batten International Airport (RAC), with the aircraft suffering only minor damage.

When Dassault delivered the first-ever Falcon 8X to Amjet Executive, a Greece-based charter airline, in October 2016, the carrier’s President, Abakar Manany, who was also piloting the aircraft on the delivery flight, said that as a pilot,

“I can personally vouch for the remarkable handling and piloting qualities of the big new trijet. Its superb performance and cabin comfort will allow us to fill an ever wider range of needs and missions for our exceptionally demanding clientele.”

2 Gulfstream G500/G600

Fatal crashes since entry-into-service: 0

• Entry-into-service date: September 2018/August 2019 (G500/G600)
• Non-fatal incidents: 1

The Gulfstream G500 and G600, which share a type certificate (TC), according to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), have had only a single non-fatal accident since both aircraft entered into active commercial service.

That aircraft, a Gulfstream G500, registered as N507GD, was departing from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) on April 28, 2023. After a flight attendant informed the flight crew that the cabin was secure, the pilots began taking off from the runway as the cabin crew member was returning to her seat.

As a result, while the flight initially continued to its destination, following check-ups by medical personnel, the aircraft returned to its origin airport. Upon landing, the flight attendant was taken to a hospital, where she was told that she had fractured her ankle.

“Following the accident, the operator modified their procedures to require that the flight deck crew verify that cabin crew are seated prior to taxi.”

1 Embraer Legacy 500/Praetor 600

Fatal crashes since entry-into-service: 0

• Entry-into-service date: October 2014/June 2019 (Legacy 500/Praetor 600)
• Non-fatal incidents: 1

The Embraer Legacy 500/Praetor 600 is another aircraft platform sharing the same type certificate, with the latter being an upgrade of the former. According to EASA’s type certificate for the type, the EMB-550 with the DCA 0550-000-00026-201, a performance enhancement, is referred to as the Praetor 600 in marketing literature.

Nevertheless, when the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer announced the Praetor 500 and Praetor 600 at the National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in October 2018, Embraer highlighted the latest Rockwell Collins ProLine Fusion flight deck. The system comes with an industry-first vertical weather display, air traffic control-like situational awareness with ADSB-IN, and predictive wind shear radar capability.

As such, no Praetor 600 aircraft, which have been in service since June 2019, have suffered a fatal or non-fatal incident. However, its predecessor, the Legacy 500, has a single non-fatal incident, which happened at Paris Le Bourget Airport (LBG) in November 2017.

Then, a Russian-registered Legacy 500 suffered a ruptured right-hand main landing gear, which made a massive hole in the wing. The French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile, BEA) concluded that the flight crew departed Moscow, Russia, despite a ‘WINGSTAB FAIL’ message and icing conditions during departure.

The failure was linked to the activation of the ice protection system before starting the engines. During the climb, a ‘STALL PRO ANTICIPATE’ message informed the pilots of an increase in angle of attack (AoA) limiter protection activation speeds, which should have resulted in the flight crew increasing reference speed by 30 knots during the approach. However, the speed selected was lower than the AoA limiter protection activation speed, preventing the captain from carrying out the flare upon landing.