Is flying private safer than commercial?

Private flying feels safer to many people because it is calmer and more controlled. The accident data says something more precise, and it is worth reading before deciding what to ask a charter company.

Is flying private safer than flying commercial?

No. The US airlines are safer than charter operators on every measure the NTSB publishes. In 2024, scheduled airlines (14 CFR Part 121) had 0.16 accidents per 100,000 flight hours and no fatal accidents, on-demand charter operators (Part 135) had 0.86 accidents and 0.14 fatal accidents, and general aviation (Part 91) had 4.53 accidents and 0.72 fatal accidents.

Charter sits between the airlines and owner-flown general aviation, much closer to the airlines than to general aviation as a whole.

What do the NTSB numbers actually show?

The NTSB’s accident statistics for 2005 to 2024 give the rates below, all per 100,000 flight hours. Flight hours are FAA estimates, and the 10-year figures are our own totals from the NTSB tables.

Category	2024 accidents	2024 fatal accidents	Accidents per 100,000 hours (2024)	Fatal accidents per 100,000 hours (2024)	Accidents per 100,000 hours (2015 to 2024)
Part 121 scheduled airlines	30	0	0.16	0	0.15
Part 135 on-demand charter	36	6	0.86	0.14	0.99
General aviation (Part 91)	1,126	182	4.53	0.72	not totalled

Two points from the table. Over 2015 to 2024, scheduled airlines had 257 accidents, only 3 of them fatal, in about 172 million flight hours; on-demand Part 135 had 375 accidents, 74 of them fatal, in about 38 million hours. And in 2024, the 36 Part 135 accidents killed 16 people, and the 30 airline accidents killed none.

The Part 135 category is broad. It covers air taxis, helicopter and medical flights, cargo and Alaskan operations as well as business jets, and the NTSB tables do not isolate jets. A single jet charter is not the average of that category, but we cannot say from this data by how much. Private jet accident statistics splits charter airplanes from helicopters and charts twenty years of rates.

Why is a Part 135 charter different from owner-flown Part 91?

A Part 135 charter operator holds an FAA air carrier certificate with operations specifications, and its pilots must meet requirements beyond those for any pilot. The key one for a charter passenger is the pilot in command rule in 14 CFR 135.243: in passenger-carrying operations, the pilot in command of a turbojet airplane, or of an airplane with 10 or more passenger seats, must hold an airline transport pilot certificate with the appropriate ratings. For other pilots flying instrument flight rules, the rule requires at least 1,200 hours of flight time, including 500 cross-country, 100 night and 75 instrument hours.

Part 91 vs Part 135 explains the two rulebooks, and how to check that a flight is on a Part 135 certificate. That is why charter is far safer than the general aviation average, which includes flight training, owner-flown piston aircraft and every other kind of Part 91 flying.

The operator also keeps operational control. The broker does not, and cannot: 14 CFR 295.23 requires a broker to state that it is not a direct air carrier in operational control of aircraft.

Is a private charter safer than flying a private plane yourself?

Yes, by a wide margin on the NTSB’s numbers: 0.86 accidents per 100,000 hours for on-demand charter in 2024, against 4.53 for general aviation, and 0.14 fatal accidents against 0.72. General aviation includes many small aircraft and many types of flying, so the comparison favours charter more than it would a like-for-like jet comparison.

What does a broker add to safety?

A broker does not make a flight safer by flying it, since it does not fly. What it can do is choose carriers carefully and tell you who they are. In practice that means:

• confirming the carrier holds an FAA Part 135 certificate and the DOT economic authority, as 14 CFR 295.20 requires of a broker;
• checking the carrier’s ratings and telling you what they mean, as we explain in ARGUS, Wyvern and IS-BAO ratings explained;
• disclosing the carrier’s name before you commit, under 14 CFR 295.24.

A broker must also not mislead you about safety: 14 CFR 295.50(b) lists misrepresenting pilot or aircraft safety, qualifications or certification as unfair or deceptive.

How can you reduce risk when you book a charter?

Ask five questions of any broker or operator:

1. Which carrier will fly the trip, by its corporate name?
2. What is its rating, at which tier and on what date?
3. How many pilots are on the aircraft, and what is the pilot in command’s experience on this type?
4. What happens if the pilot or operator says no? The pilot in command has the final say, and a good operator and broker treat a refusal as the system working. See what happens when the plane breaks.
5. Who is the replacement carrier if the aircraft changes, and will I be told its name before I board?

If you would like a trip checked this way, call +1 (862) 485-3510 or request a quote.

Sources

• NTSB: US civil aviation accident statistics, 2005 to 2024 workbook (Tables 1, 6, 9 and 10)
• 14 CFR 135.243, Pilot in command qualifications (eCFR, Title 14)
• 14 CFR 91.3, Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command (eCFR, Title 14)
• 14 CFR Part 295, Air charter brokers, including 295.20, 295.23, 295.24 and 295.50 (eCFR, Title 14)
• ARGUS International: Platinum audit