The Lemon Index
Photos: Robbie Klinkenberg (Wikimedia Commons)
715accidents
14%were fatal
132deaths
5%aircraft destroyed
What happened. NTSB's defining event, share of accidents.
Loss of control on ground11%
Loss of engine power (total)9%
Loss of control in flight8%
Fuel exhaustion8%
Hard landing7%
Loss of engine power (partial)7%
Pilot or plane? How often NTSB listed an aircraft problem among the causes.
16%the plane was part of the cause
engine, systems, structure or propeller
engine, systems, structure or propeller
84%people or weather only
pilot decisions, control, fuel planning
pilot decisions, control, fuel planning
Out of 509 accidents where NTSB recorded a cause. When the plane was a cause, it was most often the engine (reciprocating).
When. Phase of flight.
Landing30%
Enroute21%
Approach15%
Initial climb12%
Takeoff9%
Accidents per year.
200856
200955
201050
201143
201245
201337
201424
201543
201651
201732
201839
201939
202028
202140
202235
202337
202429
202532
More planes flying means more accidents, so counts aren't a safety score by themselves. Compare the shares above.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, U.S. accidents 2008–2025. ntsb.gov · Every plane
Updated