The Lemon IndexPlanes · Single-engine piston
Piper PA-32 Saratoga / Cherokee Six.
Every U.S. accident NTSB investigated, 2008 to 2025.
Photos: Doodybutch (Wikimedia Commons)
379accidents
25%were fatal
217deaths
18%aircraft destroyed
What happened. NTSB's defining event, share of accidents.
Loss of engine power (total)11%
Loss of control on ground8%
Fuel starvation6%
Loss of engine power (partial)6%
Loss of control in flight5%
Hard landing4%
Pilot or plane? How often NTSB listed an aircraft problem among the causes.
28%the plane was part of the cause
engine, systems, structure or propeller
engine, systems, structure or propeller
72%people or weather only
pilot decisions, control, fuel planning
pilot decisions, control, fuel planning
Out of 239 accidents where NTSB recorded a cause. When the plane was a cause, it was most often the engine (reciprocating).
When. Phase of flight.
Enroute30%
Landing23%
Approach15%
Initial climb13%
Takeoff11%
Accidents per year.
200832
200918
201023
201118
201223
201314
201413
201520
201613
201720
201824
201927
202026
202120
202231
202321
202423
202513
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