Despite a modest increase in the number of business aircraft flight hours between last year and 2009, the number of accidents remained virtually static, according to year-end statistics released by Boca Raton, Fla.-based industry safety analyst Robert E. Breiling Associates. In 2010 there were 45 accidents involving U.S.-registered business jets and turboprops combined, just one more than in the previous year, while the number of fatal accidents decreased, to seven last year from eight the previous year. According to Breiling, the number of business aviation incidents (minor occurrences that often involve costly repairs to aircraft) has in general been on the rise in recent years.
The total number of business jet accidents rose to nine in 2010 from eight in 2009, while both years saw just one fatal jet crash, each claiming two lives. The fractional business jet market experienced one nonfatal accident in 2010 compared with none the previous year.
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