Bombardier · Business jet
Bombardier Challenger 300/350/3500
Is the Bombardier Challenger 300/350/3500 safe? It ranks #1 of 18 private and business aircraft families we rate, with 2 fatal accidents counted in about 2.7 million flights since 2008.
Likely range 60 to 91
How the score is built
- Fatal accidents
- 2 in 2.7 million flights
0.74 fatal accidents per million flights. Counted: all civil flights (private, charter, corporate, cargo, training and other), accidents and unexplained losses; not counted: military, test and illegal flights, sabotage, hijackings, shoot-downs and deliberate crew acts.
- Full-loss equivalents
- 1.2
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
- 2.7 million
Estimated flights of all kinds. Flights of all kinds (private, charter, corporate, cargo, training and other civil use) 2008 to 3 November 2026: OpenSky 2022 flights of the type under any call sign (US military aircraft left out), re-weighted to World Bank departures country by country, carried to other years by the type's flights counted each year by FAA traffic flow management (TFMSC). Flights before 2008 are not used, like the accidents. About 253 flights per aircraft per year (fleet with a median service life of about 27 years). Uncertainty roughly ±30%.
- Technology generation
- Modern business jet (type first flew from 1990)
Small fleets are pulled toward the record of the other types of their generation: 0.86 full-loss equivalents per million flights over 28 million flights. Weight of this family's own record: 88%.
- Likely range
- 60 to 91
The score is 90% likely to lie in this range, given how few accidents a type has and the error in the estimate of its flights.
- Last fatal accident
- 18 December 2024
New Lines, S.A., near San Fernando Airport (SADF), San Fernando, BA, Argentina: 2 of 2 people on board died.
- Hull losses
- 5
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. ASN gives no fate for some damaged aircraft, so this can be a little low (context only, not in the score).
Compared with everyday risks
One flight on the Bombardier Challenger 300/350/3500 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 Bombardier Challenger 300/350/3500This aircraft1 in 2 million
- An ordinary day: accidents and violence1 in 1 million
- A day of skiing1 in 830,000
- 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
2 fatal accidents since 2008 count toward the score, with 3 people on board killed.
| Date | Flight | Killed | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Lines, S.A.BD-100-1A10 Challenger 300 · near San Fernando Airport (SADF), San Fernando, BA, Argentina | 2 killed / 2 on board | Landing on runway 05 at San Fernando after a positioning flight from Punta del Este, the Challenger 300 overran, swerved around the localizer aerial, went through the fence into streets and caught fire. Both pilots died. The investigation has not published a cause.Type: Runway excursionASN record | |
| Conexon LLC opf AirShareBD-100-1A10 Challenger 300 · near Windsor Locks, CT, United States of America | 1 killed / 5 on board | A pitot cover left on led to a rejected takeoff and latched trim faults; the crew flew on anyway and used the wrong checklist in the climb. The Challenger 300 pitched violently and a passenger without a seat belt was fatally hurt. The jet landed with minor damage.Type: Loss of control in flightASN record |
The Challenger 300 family has one of the better records among business jets in our data. Two fatal events in about 2.7 million flights since 2008 is a low count, but it is a short record, so treat it as encouraging rather than proven. The way an operator runs the jet matters more than the type.
Who flies on a Challenger 300?
This is a super-midsize jet that seats about nine passengers. Bombardier first flew it in 2001, and it has been in service since 2004. About 1,030 have been built, and nearly all are still flying. The 350 is the updated version, and the 3500 is the latest development of the same design. You find them in charter fleets, fractional ownership programmes, corporate flight departments and owner-flown fleets. We cannot tell from the data which of those uses is most common.
It has a swept wing, two rear-mounted Honeywell turbofan engines and a T-tail. It needs two pilots, so every flight has a second crew member to catch errors.
What is the Challenger 300 record?
Up to 3 November 2026 our data list two fatal events, and both count toward the family's rate:
- 18 December 2024, New Lines, San Fernando, Argentina: on a positioning flight with no passengers, the jet 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 on landing, went through the airport fence and caught fire. Both pilots died. The investigation has published only a preliminary report and no cause.
- 3 March 2023, AirShare (Conexon LLC), near Windsor Locks, Connecticut: a pitot cover left on led to a rejected take-off, which left faults stored in the trim system. The crew took off again, and in the climb the jet pitched violently when the trim switch was turned off during a checklist. One passenger, who was not wearing a seat belt, died. The aircraft landed with minor damage.
The San Fernando flight carried no passengers, and the Windsor Locks flight was a personal flight under US Part 91 rules, not a Part 135 charter. The family's flights since 2008 are modelled at about 2.7 million (give or take 30%), so two events is a low rate against the wider class of modern business jets. The type's own record carries most of the weight in the score, but two accidents are few, so our confidence is low and the likely score range is wide. See how we score aircraft.
The same yardstick gives the older Challenger 600 series a weaker record, seven counted fatal events in about 2.2 million flights since 2008, and the larger Global no counted event at all.
What to check before a charter flight
Ask the broker or operator these questions:
- Which air operator certificate does the aircraft fly under, and which country issued it? In the US it should be a Part 135 certificate. In Europe, look for an EASA-style AOC.
- Does an independent audit cover the operator? Common ones are ARGUS, Wyvern and IS-BAO. Ask for the rating, not only the logo.
- What are the captain's and co-pilot's hours on the Challenger 300 itself, and when did they last train in a simulator?
- Does the operator use a second pilot on every flight, with the right type rating?
Owner-flown and corporate flights run under private rules with fewer outside checks.
How do I know if I am on one?
Flight trackers show CL30 for the Challenger 300 and CL35 for the 350. The 3500 usually shows as CL35. Do not confuse them with the Challenger 600 series, which uses the code CL60 and is a different, older design.
Questions people ask
Is the Bombardier Challenger 300 a safe jet?
Its record is good for a business jet. From 2008, the period the score covers, to 3 November 2026 our data show two fatal events in about 2.7 million flights. It has the highest score of the private jets we rank, just ahead of the Phenom 300, but two accidents are few, so confidence is low and the gap to the next types is small and uncertain.
Has a Challenger 300 ever crashed?
Yes, once with a total loss and fatalities. On 18 December 2024 a Challenger 300 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 San Fernando, Argentina, on a positioning flight and both pilots died. On 3 March 2023 a passenger died in severe pitching near Windsor Locks, Connecticut, and the jet landed with minor damage.
Is the Challenger 350 the same as the Challenger 300?
They are the same basic jet. The 350 is an updated Challenger 300 with more thrust, a longer range and a revised cabin, so we count them as one family. Flight trackers show the 300 as CL30 and the 350 as CL35.
Does a Challenger 300 need two pilots?
Yes. It is certified for a crew of two pilots, and charter operators normally fly it with a pilot in command and a second in command.
Sources
- 1.ASN record: New Lines Challenger 300, San Fernando, Argentina, 18 December 2024 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 2.ASN record: Conexon LLC opf AirShare Challenger 300, near Windsor Locks, Connecticut, 3 March 2023 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 3.SafetyScorer exposure model: OpenSky Network flights 2022 (all operators), World Bank departures, FAA TFMSC (opens in a new tab)Flights of all kinds (private, charter, corporate, cargo, training and other civil use) 2008 to 3 November 2026: OpenSky 2022 flights of the type under any call sign (US military aircraft left out), re-weighted to World Bank departures country by country, carried to other years by the type's flights counted each year by FAA traffic flow management (TFMSC). Flights before 2008 are not used, like the accidents. About 253 flights per aircraft per year (fleet with a median service life of about 27 years). Uncertainty roughly ±30%.