Accidents, fatals jump for bizav jets, tprops by Gordon Gilbert The number of accidents and fatalities for both U.S.-registered and non-U.S.-registered business jet and turboprop operations worldwide increased substantially in the first nine months of this year compared to the same period last year. According to statistics gathered by AIN, U.S.-registered business jets suffered 22 accidents in the first three quarters
of this year versus 11 mishaps in the same period last year. There was one fatal accident for U.S. business jets in each of the two periods–four people died in the April 2, 2011 accident (a Gulfstream 650 on a test flight) and two people were killed in the Jan. 5, 2010, crash (a Part 135 Learjet 35A on a Part 91 positioning flight). Of the 31 U.S.-registered
turboprop accidents worldwide in the first nine months of this year, 16 people died in seven accidents. In the comparable period last year, U.S.-registered turboprops were involved in 27 accidents, four of which killed 12. In September this year, 56 people were killed in two non-U.S.-registered charter jet accidents–a Boeing 737 in Canada, killing 12 people, and a Yak-42 in Russia, fatal to 44 people, including members of a noted Russian hockey team. Also in September, three non-U.S. registered turboprop fatal crashes (two in Indonesia and one in Canada) resulted in seven deaths. o
U.S.-registered Business Jet and Turboprop Accident/Incidents Worldwide (Nine Months 2011* vs Nine Months 2010) Business Jets
Total
Part 91
2011
2010
2011
2010
Part 91K 2011
Part 135
2010
2011
2010
Mfg. 2011
Public/Gov’t
2010
2011
2010
Nonfatal accidents
21
10
16(a)
9
1
1
4(b)
0
0
0
0
0
Fatal accidents
1
1
0
1(c)
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Total accidents
22
11
16
10
1
1
4
0
1
0
0
0
Fatalities
4
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
Incidents
19
17
16
10
2
2
1
5
0
0
0
0
Business Turboprops Nonfatal accidents
Total
Part 91
Part 91K
Part 135
Mfg.
Public/Gov’t
2011
2010
2011
2010
2011
2010
2011
2010
2011
2010
2011
2010
24
23
20(d)
17
1
0
2
5
0
0
1
1
Fatal accidents
7
4
5(e)
3
0
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
Total accidents
31
27
25
20
1
0
4
6
0
0
1
1
Fatalities
16
12
14
10
0
0
2
2
0
0
0
0
Incidents
18
8
14
5
0
0
4
2
0
0
0
1
* 2011 data preliminary (a) Includes a U.S.-registered jet operating in Mexico at the time of the accident. (b) Includes a U.S.-registered jet operating in Switzerland at the time of the accident. (c) Fatal accident involving a Part 135 operator on a Part 91 positioning flight. (d) Includes a U.S.-registered turboprop operating in the UK at the time of the accident. (e) Includes a U.S.-registered turboprop operating in Nigeria at the time of the accident. Sources: FAA, NTSB, AIN research
U.S.-registered Business Jet and Turboprop Accident/Incidents Worldwide (3Q/ 2011* vs 3Q/2010) Business Jets Nonfatal accidents
Total
Part 91
Part 91K
Part 135
Mfg.
Public/Gov’t
2011
2010
2011
2010
2011
2010
2011
2010
2011
2010
2011
2010
2
4
2
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Fatal accidents
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total accidents
2
4
2
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Fatalities
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Incidents
13
7
10
5
2
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
Business Turboprops
Total 2011
Part 91
2010
2011
Part 91K
2010
2011
2010
Part 135 2011
2010
Mfg. 2011
Public/Gov’t
2010
2011
2010
Nonfatal accidents
5
6
5
6
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Fatal accidents
3
1
1
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
Total accidents
8
7
6
7
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
Fatalities
3
5
1
5
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
Incidents
6
2
5
2
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
* 2011 data preliminary Sources: FAA, NTSB, AIN research
50B NBAA Convention News • October 10, 2011 • www.ainonline.com
New EBAA boss sheds his airline background by Ian Sheppard Despite the deluge of negative news about Europe’s mounting financial crisis, things are not as bad as they might seem, according to Fabio Gamba, the new chief executive of the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA). The Brussels-based group predicts that business aviation is still set to grow by 4 percent this year, even in the face of a possible double-dip recession, with northern parts of Europe showing stronger growth Fabio Gamba compared with the weaker economies of the south. Nonetheless, the new EBAA leader was quick to acknowledge that these are extremely challenging times for many of his members. “We hope that the second dip of the recession will be less painful,” Gamba told AIN. “We can’t tell you yet but it looks like it will be a few tough months before we can say that we are in recovery mode.” Gamba has yet to fly in a business aircraft, but he is no stranger to air transport, having previously served as deputy general secretary of the Association of European Airlines (AEA). He takes over from Brian Humphries, who continues in his role as EBAA president. Earlier this year Humphries indicated to AIN that the association had been keen to recruit a successful airline lobbyist because it has seen how successful Europe’s airlines have been in protecting their interests–sometimes at the expense of business aviation (even if this was an unintended consequence of their efforts). “We need to be a bit more vocal in getting business aviation the recognition it deserves,” commented Gamba, while stating that EBAA has already made the sector “a force to be reckoned with.” As he starts to engage more directly with European politicians he intends to confront them with cold, hard facts to convince them that business aviation is something that deserves fairer treatment in the regulatory playing field. He will use
so-called key performance indicators (KPIs) to prove that business aviation is an integral contributor to Europe’s muchneeded economic recovery, rather than being little more than luxury for rock stars and their ilk. “We want to replace this with a more accurate image,” he explained. “We want to press on people’s minds the fact that business aviation has a direct impact on national economies. That it employs 200,000 directly is something that we repeat each time we see the political decision-makers.” In fact, he indicated that EBAA probably needs to come up with further studies to deliver more facts and figures, following on from the study it commissioned from accountancy group PwC in 2008. “What makes business aviation unique is that it allows companies to be extremely flexible–for example, to visit three or four cities in a day,” continued Gamba. “[And] there will always be a need for corporations to go and see, visit, and sign contracts and so on. But we need to quantify this, to show the advantage [of business aviation] to corporate Europe, so we want to extract examples and figures through our members.” Gamba will be turning to EBAA members to come up with the case studies that he and his lobbying team need to make a stronger case for business aviation by showing where its real added value lies. Essentially his message to those who would over-burden bizav is: “This is what we allow Europe to do, so imposing further taxes [on us] is just shooting yourself in the foot.” After taking office at EBAA on September 1, Gamba has quickly grasped how disproportionately regulation and a restrictive operating environment, by comparison with European airlines, can affect the business aviation industry. The burden of compliance with the European Union’s controversial emissions trading scheme is a prime example of this. o