The Lemon Index
Photos: Ian Kirk from Broadstone, Dorset, UK (Wikimedia Commons)
192accidents
8%were fatal
20deaths
3%aircraft destroyed
What happened. NTSB's defining event, share of accidents.
Loss of control on ground35%
Loss of control in flight10%
Nose over/nose down6%
Abnormal runway contact5%
Hard landing4%
Loss of engine power (total)4%
Pilot or plane? How often NTSB listed an aircraft problem among the causes.
14%the plane was part of the cause
engine, systems, structure or propeller
engine, systems, structure or propeller
86%people or weather only
pilot decisions, control, fuel planning
pilot decisions, control, fuel planning
Out of 142 accidents where NTSB recorded a cause. When the plane was a cause, it was most often the landing gear system.
When. Phase of flight.
Landing64%
Takeoff10%
Enroute7%
Initial climb6%
Approach6%
Accidents per year.
200814
200913
201016
201112
201212
201311
20148
201510
201612
201710
201810
20199
20207
202111
20229
202315
20245
20258
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