ATR · Turboprop
ATR 72
Is the ATR 72 safe? It ranks Shared rankWithin 1 point of other aircraft types: the difference is not meaningful.More in the glossary of 53 airliner families we rate, with 11 fatal accidents counted in about 17 million passenger flights.
How the score is built
- Fatal passenger accidents
- 11 in 17 million flights
0.65 fatal passenger accidents per million flights. Counted: passenger flights, accidents and unexplained losses; not counted: sabotage, hijackings, shoot-downs and deliberate crew acts.
- Full-loss equivalents
- 8.8
Each counted accident adds the share of people on board who died (1 = no survivors). This is what the score is based on.
- Flights flown
- 17 million
Estimated passenger departures. Passenger departures 1989 to 7 October 2026. 2019-2022: OpenSky flights by passenger airlines, re-weighted to World Bank departures country by country. Other years: fleet model (deliveries with a median passenger service life of about 15 years, about 1,319 departures per aircraft per year, calibrated on OpenSky 2022). Uncertainty roughly ±25%.
- Technology generation
- Modern turboprop (designed from the 1980s)
Small fleets are pulled toward the record of their generation: 0.92 full-loss equivalents per million flights over 80.3 million flights. Weight of this family's own record: 85%.
- Last fatal passenger accident
- 9 August 2024
Voepass Linhas Aéreas flight PTB2283, near Vinhedo, SP, Brazil: 62 of 62 people on board died.
- Hull losses
- 40
Civil aircraft destroyed or written off from all causes, including non-fatal accidents, cargo flights and attacks; airframes flown by air forces on military operations are left out (context only, not in the score).
Compared with everyday risks
One flight on the ATR 72 carries about the same risk of death as the activities near it below.
- An hour's walk1 in 14 million
- Driving 100 miles (160 km)1 in 5.9 million
- One flight on the ATR 72This aircraft1 in 1.7 million
- A day of skiing1 in 1.3 million
- An ordinary day: accidents and violence1 in 1 million
- A scuba dive1 in 500,000
- Cycling 100 miles (160 km)1 in 430,000
- Running a marathon1 in 290,000
- A skydive1 in 250,000
- A general anaesthetic1 in 100,000
- Riding a motorbike 100 miles (160 km)1 in 83,000
Accident history
11 fatal accidents count toward the score, with 526 people on board killed.
| Date | Flight | Killed | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voepass Linhas Aéreas PTB2283ATR 72-500 (72-212A) · near Vinhedo, SP, Brazil | 62 / 62 on board | Cruising at FL170 in severe icing with the airframe de-icing switched on and off, the ATR slowed and its performance warnings sounded. During a right turn it stalled, rolled and fell in a flat spin to the ground near Vinhedo.Type: IcingASN record | |
| Yeti AirlinesATR 72-500 (72-212A) · 2 km WNW of Pokhara International Airport (VNPR), Nepal | 72 / 72 on board | On a tight visual circuit to runway 12 at the new Pokhara airport, the crew moved both condition levers to feather instead of selecting flaps. With no thrust the aircraft stalled and crashed into the Seti gorge. Workload, training gaps and SOP lapses contributed.Type: Loss of control in flightASN record | |
| Iran Aseman AirlinesATR 72-212 · 15 km NE of Yasuj Airport (YES), Iran | 66 / 66 on board | Descending below the minimum safe altitude in cloud near Yasuj, the aircraft met a strong mountain wave with icing, slowed and stalled. The crew switched the autopilot back on and could not climb before it hit Mount Dena. Investigators blamed crew decisions and stall handling.Type: Loss of control in flightASN record | |
| TransAsia Airways GE235ATR 72-600 (72-212A) · 5,3 km E of Taipei-Songshan Airport (TSA), Taiwan | 43 / 58 on board | Soon after takeoff the right engine autofeathered after a faulty connection in its control unit. The pilot flying throttled back and shut down the working left engine; the aircraft stalled, clipped a viaduct and crashed into the Keelung River.Type: Loss of control in flightASN record | |
| TransAsia Airways GE222ATR 72-500 (72-212A) · 0,8 km NE of Magong Airport (MZG), Taiwan | 48 / 58 on board | In heavy rain from a typhoon, the captain flew below the minimum descent altitude on a VOR approach to Magong, drifted left of track and struck trees, then houses, just as a go-around began. Investigators described routine non-compliance with procedures.Type: Flight into terrainASN record | |
| Lao Airlines QV301ATR 72-600 (72-212A) · 8 km NW of Pakse Airport (PKZ), Laos | 49 / 49 on board | In typhoon weather the crew descended below minimums on a VOR approach to Pakse, then began a missed approach with 600 ft still set as target altitude. Misled by the flight director and over-correcting, they lost height again and hit the Mekong.Type: Flight into terrainASN record | |
| UTair AviationATR 72-201 · 1,6 km SW of Tyumen Airport (TJM), Russia | 33 / 43 on board | The aircraft took off from Tyumen after a night parked in snow without being de-iced, though the crew had seen ice on the wing while taxiing. Right after flap retraction it stalled, rolled both ways and crashed into a snowy field.Type: IcingASN record | |
| AerocaribbeanATR 72-212 · near Guasimal, Sancti Spiritus Province, Cuba | 68 / 68 on board | Climbing to FL200 the aircraft met severe icing; while the crew waited for clearance to descend, speed fell and it suddenly rolled into a steep dive and hit mountainous terrain. Cuban officials cited the extreme icing combined with crew errors.Type: IcingASN record | |
| Bangkok Airways PG266ATR 72-500 (72-212A) · Koh Samui Airport (USM), Thailand | 1 / 72 on board | Landing at Koh Samui in strong gusts after an unstable approach, the crew did not go around at a sink rate warning. The aircraft veered off the runway and struck a former control tower building; the captain was killed.Type: Runway excursionASN record | |
| TuninterATR 72-202 · 26 km NE off Palermo-Punta Raisi Airport (PMO), Italy | 16 / 39 on board | Mechanics had fitted a fuel gauge meant for the smaller ATR 42, so it showed far more fuel than was on board. Both engines stopped from fuel exhaustion en route to Djerba and the crew ditched in the sea off Palermo.Type: FuelASN record | |
| American Eagle, opb Simmons AirlinesATR 72-212 · near Roselawn, IN, United States of America | 68 / 68 on board | Holding in freezing drizzle, the aircraft built up a ridge of ice behind the de-icing boots; when the flaps were raised in descent the ailerons snapped right and it rolled over and dived into a field. The NTSB faulted icing certification and oversight.Type: IcingASN record |
Listed but not counted
These events did not happen on regular passenger flights or were caused by a crime or a deliberate act, which says little about the aircraft design.
| Date | Flight | Killed | Why not counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| TransAsia AirwaysATR 72-202 · 17 km SW off Makung City, Penghu Islands, Taiwan | 2 / 2 on board | Cargo flight. Night cargo flight to Macau that ran into icing more severe than the type was certified for. Ice built up on the wings, the aircraft stalled and rolled, and dived into the sea; investigators also faulted crew training and de-icing use.Type: IcingASN record | |
| TransAsia Airways TNA510AATR 72-202 · 20 km SSE of Taipei-Songshan Airport (TSA), Taiwan | 4 / 4 on board | Ferry flight without passengers. Empty positioning flight on a visual approach to Taipei that descended far below the proper height and hit a wooded hillside. Investigators cited casual chat over the holiday, poor crew coordination and lost awareness of the terrain.Type: Flight into terrainASN record |
The ATR 72 is a safe aircraft when a well-run airline flies it, and it is the most common regional turboprop in the world. Its record is weaker than a regional jet's, mostly because of where and how it flies: low, in icing cloud, into short island and mountain runways, often with small airlines.
Where you fly on an ATR 72
The Franco-Italian ATR 72 first flew in 1988. About 1,300 have been built and roughly 1,100 are in service. You will find it with IndiGo in India, Binter in the Canary Islands, Azul in Brazil, Air New Zealand, Wings Air in Indonesia and on island routes from the Caribbean to the Philippines. In Europe, many short regional routes use it. It burns far less fuel than a jet on flights under an hour, which is why airlines like it.
The icing story
On 31 October 1994, American Eagle 4184 was holding near Roselawn, Indiana, in freezing drizzle. Ice formed behind the wing de-icing boots, the ailerons suddenly deflected and the aircraft rolled over. All 68 people died. The US investigation found that the aircraft had not been tested for this kind of large-droplet icing. ATR enlarged the boots, and crews got new rules for severe icing.
Icing returned in later crashes. On 2 April 2012, a UTair ATR 72 took off from Tyumen without being de-iced after a night of frost and stalled; 33 of 43 died. On 9 August 2024, Voepass 2283 entered a spin while cruising in icing conditions near São Paulo, and all 62 people died. Icing is the focus of Brazil's investigation.
The other fatal accidents
Most of the other crashes came down to people, weather and airports:
- 4 February 2015, TransAsia 235, Taipei: one engine failed after take-off and the crew shut down the good one. 43 of 58 died.
- 23 July 2014, TransAsia 222, Magong: approach in storm weather after a typhoon. 48 of 58 died.
- 16 October 2013, Lao Airlines 301, Pakse: approach in bad weather. All 49 died.
- 18 February 2018, Iran Aseman Airlines, flew into a mountain near Yasuj. All 66 died.
- 15 January 2023, Yeti Airlines, Pokhara: the crew cut thrust on both engines by mistake. All 72 died.
- 6 August 2005, Tuninter: the wrong fuel gauge had been fitted, the aircraft ran out of fuel and ditched off Palermo. 16 of 39 died.
Add Aerocaribbean in Cuba (2010, 68 dead, severe icing) and a 2009 Runway excursionWhen an aircraft leaves the runway surface during take-off or landing, either off the end (an overrun) or off the side (a veer-off).More in the glossary at Koh Samui that killed the captain, and the total is eleven fatal passenger accidents in about 17 million flights. Two cargo and ferry crashes in Taiwan do not count; our methodology explains why.
The aircraft or the operating environment?
Be fair to the ATR. None of these crashes after 1994 came from a design flaw that ATR left unfixed. Turboprops fly lower, through the cloud layers where ice forms. They serve short runways, islands and mountain airports with fewer landing aids. And they are often the first aircraft of small airlines in places where oversight is weaker. TransAsia lost two ATRs within seven months and later closed. The same airframe flies millions of uneventful flights a year with IndiGo, Binter and Air New Zealand.
How to tell if you are on one
Flight trackers show AT72 or AT73 for older ATR 72-200 and -210 models, AT75 for the 72-500 and AT76 for the 72-600. You board at the rear on most versions, and the high wing sits above the cabin. Compare with the smaller ATR 42 and the Dash 8. If the type worries you, look at the airline's record first; on this aircraft it is the better predictor.
Questions people ask
Is the ATR 72 prone to icing?
Like every turboprop, it flies low enough to spend more time in icing cloud than a jet. After the 1994 Roselawn crash, ATR enlarged the wing de-icing boots and crews got new procedures for severe icing. Icing is again at the centre of the investigation into the 2024 Voepass crash in Brazil.
Why do ATR 72s crash so often?
They do not crash often per flight, but there are many of them, often in hard places. Most fatal ATR 72 crashes happened on approaches to island or mountain airports in bad weather, or with airlines that had weak safety oversight. Several were caused by crew errors, such as shutting down the wrong engine.
What happened to the Yeti Airlines ATR 72 in Nepal?
On 15 January 2023, the ATR 72-500 crashed on approach to Pokhara and all 72 people on board died. Nepal's investigators found that the crew had moved the propeller condition levers to feather instead of selecting flaps, so the engines stopped producing thrust.
Is the ATR 72-600 safer than older versions?
The 600 has a modern glass cockpit and better automation, which helps crews. But two of the eleven fatal passenger crashes in our data, Lao Airlines 301 and TransAsia 235, involved the 600. The operator matters more than the version.
Sources
- 1.ASN record: American Eagle flight 4184, Roselawn, 31 October 1994 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 2.ASN record: TransAsia Airways flight 235, Taipei, 4 February 2015 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 3.ASN record: Yeti Airlines ATR 72-500, Pokhara, 15 January 2023 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 4.ASN record: Voepass flight 2283, Vinhedo, 9 August 2024 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 5.ASN record: UTair ATR 72-201, Tyumen, 2 April 2012 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 6.SafetyScorer exposure model: OpenSky Network flights 2019-2022, World Bank departures, fleet model (opens in a new tab)Passenger departures 1989 to 7 October 2026. 2019-2022: OpenSky flights by passenger airlines, re-weighted to World Bank departures country by country. Other years: fleet model (deliveries with a median passenger service life of about 15 years, about 1,319 departures per aircraft per year, calibrated on OpenSky 2022). Uncertainty roughly ±25%.