There were no fatal accidents involving corporate aviation operators in 2003, according to National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President and CEO Shelley A. Longmuir. This statistic, attributed to bizav number-cruncher Robert A Breiling, means that corporate aviation is one of the safest travel modes available, according to the association. Of course, it don’t get much better than that. In this case, the NBAA defines “corporate aviation” as a turbine-powered aircraft flown by a two-person professional crew. That’s quite an achievement, and one of which all should be proud. That said, final numbers from the National Transportation Safety Board aren’t yet available for 2003. However, the preliminary statistics for 2003 show there were two fatalities in one “corporate/executive” accident in 2003. The NTSB defines “corporate/executive flight operations” as involving “aircraft owned or leased, and operated by a corporate or business firm for the transportation of personnel or cargo in furtherance of the corporations or firms business, and that are flown by professional pilots receiving a direct salary or compensation for piloting.” Overall, the NTSB’s preliminary numbers show an increase in general aviation fatalities, including those from aerial application operations, of 624, versus 581 in 2002.
