When accidents happen
57%
of cases in cloud or poor visibility were fatal
against 14% in good weather
Personal flight
kind of flight with the most cases
62% of all
Phase of flight
Landing and takeoff are short but demanding; maneuvering means low flying, turns and aerobatics, which carry the highest fatal share.
Not recorded13,638
The table (1 rows)
| Phase | Cases | Fatal | Share fatal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not recorded | 13,638 | 2,205 | 16% |
Kind of flight
Personal flight8,498Instructional flight2,013Not recorded753Aerial application (crop spraying) flight599Business flight400Positioning flight265Other work-use flight205Flight test200Aerial observation flight186Ferry flight66External-load flight54Flight of an unrecorded kind52
The table (20 rows)
| Kind of flight | Cases | Fatal | Share fatal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal flight | 8,498 | 1,520 | 18% |
| Instructional flight | 2,013 | 182 | 9% |
| Not recorded | 753 | 73 | 10% |
| Aerial application (crop spraying) flight | 599 | 101 | 17% |
| Business flight | 400 | 77 | 19% |
| Positioning flight | 265 | 42 | 16% |
| Other work-use flight | 205 | 35 | 17% |
| Flight test | 200 | 35 | 18% |
| Aerial observation flight | 186 | 41 | 22% |
| Ferry flight | 66 | 11 | 17% |
| External-load flight | 54 | 15 | 28% |
| Flight of an unrecorded kind | 52 | 5 | 10% |
| Skydiving flight | 51 | 11 | 22% |
| Air show or air race flight | 47 | 13 | 28% |
| Executive or corporate flight | 45 | 3 | 7% |
| Firefighting flight | 35 | 13 | 37% |
| Public-use flight (federal) | 34 | 4 | 12% |
| Banner-towing flight | 32 | 6 | 19% |
| Public-use flight (local) | 26 | 3 | 12% |
| Glider-towing flight | 26 | 6 | 23% |
Under which rules
Most cases are private flying under the general aviation rules; airline flying under Part 121 is a small share despite carrying most passengers.
General aviation rules (Part 91)11,851Agricultural flying rules (Part 137)602Charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)475Scheduled airline rules (Part 121)398Public-use (government) rules143External-load helicopter rules (Part 133)66Foreign airline rules (Part 129)40Rules the NTSB did not record12Not recorded11Non-U.S. commercial rules10Small-drone rules (Part 107)9Military rules9
The table (16 rows)
| Rules | Cases | Fatal | Share fatal |
|---|---|---|---|
| General aviation rules (Part 91) | 11,851 | 1,954 | 16% |
| Agricultural flying rules (Part 137) | 602 | 100 | 17% |
| Charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135) | 475 | 87 | 18% |
| Scheduled airline rules (Part 121) | 398 | 5 | 1% |
| Public-use (government) rules | 143 | 26 | 18% |
| External-load helicopter rules (Part 133) | 66 | 22 | 33% |
| Foreign airline rules (Part 129) | 40 | 2 | 5% |
| Rules the NTSB did not record | 12 | 1 | 8% |
| Not recorded | 11 | 1 | 9% |
| Non-U.S. commercial rules | 10 | 1 | 10% |
| Small-drone rules (Part 107) | 9 | 0 | 0% |
| Military rules | 9 | 2 | 22% |
| Fractional-ownership rules (Part 91 subpart K) | 5 | 1 | 20% |
| Non-U.S. private rules | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| Large-aircraft private carriage rules (Part 125) | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Ultralight rules (Part 103) | 2 | 1 | 50% |
Weather
Only 4% of cases happened in cloud or poor visibility, but 57% of those were fatal.
Visual conditions (good weather)12,608Instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)541Conditions the NTSB did not record267
The table (3 rows)
| Conditions | Cases | Fatal | Share fatal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual conditions (good weather) | 12,608 | 1,795 | 14% |
| Instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility) | 541 | 311 | 57% |
| Conditions the NTSB did not record | 267 | 55 | 21% |
Kind of aircraft and how it was built
Airplane11,739Helicopter1,254Glider223Gyroplane111Balloon105Weight-shift aircraft86Not recorded57Powered parachute35Aircraft11Ultralight8Powered-lift aircraft8Airship1
The table (14 rows)
| Kind | Cases | Fatal | Share fatal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airplane | 11,739 | 1,863 | 16% |
| Helicopter | 1,254 | 212 | 17% |
| Glider | 223 | 41 | 18% |
| Gyroplane | 111 | 22 | 20% |
| Balloon | 105 | 8 | 8% |
| Weight-shift aircraft | 86 | 34 | 40% |
| Not recorded | 57 | 14 | 25% |
| Powered parachute | 35 | 10 | 29% |
| Aircraft | 11 | 0 | 0% |
| Ultralight | 8 | 1 | 12% |
| Powered-lift aircraft | 8 | 0 | 0% |
| Airship | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Factory-built | 11,786 | 1,848 | 16% |
| Amateur-built | 1,852 | 357 | 19% |
Damage
Substantial damage11,554Destroyed1,427Not recorded440Minor damage217
Time of day
Local time, as the NTSB records it. The busiest hour for cases is 18:00 to 19:00.
Season
Jul has the most cases and Dec the fewest; flying follows the weather.
Day of the week
Saturday has the most cases.
Where the numbers come from
- NTSB aviation accident database, records to 2026-09-30; U.S. cases only
Computed once a night by this site from the public files named above; nothing here identifies a person. All analytics pages.