What You Need To Know About Private Jet Safety
Private jets are amazing and luxurious, but they can also be dangerous. That's why it's important to know what to look for when you're hiring a private jet so that you don't end up in a situation where you could be hurt.
In this post, we’ll go through the three typical causes of safety issues with private jets, and what can be done to mitigate hazards and improve private jet safety conditions.
Pilot Error
According to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) data, the majority of general aviation accidents eventually result from pilot error, and private jets are not excluded from the pool. The organization is currently concentrating on improving the safety of private flights by tackling one of the most common types of accidents: loss of control.
It's a wide category that includes any accident in which the pilot is unable to regain control of the aircraft before it hits the ground.
An illustration would be a pilot of a single-engine aircraft who loses one of its engines after takeoff and attempts to circle back to the airport to land, only to stall instead.
Another scenario is when a pilot turns too slowly during a landing approach, stalls out at a low altitude, and sends the aircraft into an unrecoverable spin.
Our last example is what's referred to as "VFR into IMC" in aviation lingo, or Visual Flight Regulations into Instrument Meteorological Conditions. In essence, a pilot who isn't certified to fly only by his or her instruments ends up flying blind when they take off in cloudy weather or a similar low-visibility environment.
Less Robust Safety Features
Private aircraft lack safety features and redundancies, such as co-pilots, backup navigational information systems, and extra engines when compared to commercial flights.
There are very few single-engine commercial aircraft in flight, and losing an engine on a single-engine craft is evidently worse than losing one on a twin-engine aircraft.
Lower Safety Standards to Adhere to
Private pilots and charter aviation operations are not subject to the same level of scrutiny for aircraft, maintenance, pilots, and crews as heavily regulated commercial airlines are. Additionally, since these planes are used for personal travel rather than commercial flights (and therefore don't undergo regular inspections), it's up to the owner or operator to ensure that everything is running smoothly before takeoff. The safety of chartered and privately flown aircraft can fall significantly short of the standards set by commercial airlines, leading to 9 times more accidents per year than larger carriers.
Moreover, private pilots only need to fulfill basic training requirements and competency tests every two years, but those requirements are minimal.
Adverse Weather Conditions
Weather conditions can change rapidly during flight time, so even if all systems are functioning properly when you take off from one location and land another five minutes later (which is pretty unlikely), there could still be issues with visibility or turbulence along the way if conditions aren't ideal during those few minutes in between landing zones.
Final Thoughts
Pilot error accounts for more than half of fatal air crashes, with technical failure and weather coming in second and third. However, the majority of these dangers may be reduced by meticulous aircraft maintenance, thorough pilot training, and stringent protocols for bad weather.
You can relax and enjoy your travel knowing that your aircraft has been adequately maintained, the pilots are knowledgeable and skilled, and any weather difficulties have been taken into account when you engage with JetChecked to audit your chartered flight. Contact us to get started today!
