The Lemon IndexPlanes · Single-engine piston
Piper PA-28 Cherokee / Warrior / Archer.
Every U.S. accident NTSB investigated, 2008 to 2025.
Photos: Ronnie Robertson (Wikimedia Commons)
1,211accidents
16%were fatal
330deaths
8%aircraft destroyed
What happened. NTSB's defining event, share of accidents.
Loss of control on ground13%
Loss of engine power (total)9%
Loss of control in flight8%
Loss of engine power (partial)6%
Hard landing4%
Fuel exhaustion4%
Pilot or plane? How often NTSB listed an aircraft problem among the causes.
20%the plane was part of the cause
engine, systems, structure or propeller
engine, systems, structure or propeller
80%people or weather only
pilot decisions, control, fuel planning
pilot decisions, control, fuel planning
Out of 829 accidents where NTSB recorded a cause. When the plane was a cause, it was most often the engine (reciprocating).
When. Phase of flight.
Landing28%
Enroute19%
Approach15%
Initial climb14%
Takeoff11%
Accidents per year.
200876
200968
201075
201164
201276
201368
201462
201569
201664
201767
201877
201971
202059
202161
202262
202382
202463
202547
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