Cessna Citation V/Ultra/Encore

The Citation V family's fatal record comes almost entirely from private and corporate flying, not charter. From 2008, the period the score covers, to 3 November 2026 our data counts 4 fatal events. Three were flights where the pilot was incapacitated or stopped responding at altitude, and one was a loss of control in cloud. The older crashes, before 2008 and not counted, were mostly bad weather and approaches.

What is the Citation V line?

It is a straight-wing, twin-engine business jet from Cessna, now Textron Aviation. It first flew in 1988; the Ultra, Encore and Encore+ are later versions. About 770 were built and about 660 were seen flying in 2022. Production has ended. Typical seating is eight.

Companies, owner-pilots and small charter firms fly most of them; the military UC-35 is the same jet. About 2 million estimated flights since 2008 and four counted accidents give low confidence: the type's own record carries most of the weight in the score, but its likely range is wide. It ranks a few places below the CitationJet and just ahead of the Challenger 600; the scores are close and the likely ranges overlap, so those differences are small and uncertain.

What does the fatal record show?

Our data lists 11 fatal events in the family's whole history, and four count. Six happened before 2008 and do not count, because the score covers accidents and flights from 2008 on. The eleventh, a US Marine Corps UC-35D near San Diego-Miramar on 10 March 2004 (4 dead), is excluded as a military flight.

Of the 4 counted events, 3 were other flights (private, corporate or ambulance) and 1 was a positioning flight. Together they killed 10 people. The largest loss in the type's history came before 2008 and does not count: on 16 February 2005 a Circuit City Citation V crashed on approach to Pueblo, Colorado, in icing and 8 people died. The NTSB found a stall after the crew did not keep up airspeed or use the de-icing boots as required, and named the FAA's icing certification rules as a contributing factor.

The other events fall into three groups:

• Approach and landing (before 2008, not counted). On 30 December 1995 an Iowa Packing Company jet stalled while circling to land at Eagle River, Wisconsin, in fog and icing (2 dead). On 24 January 2006 a Goship Air jet touched down far along the runway at Carlsbad, California, and hit a building (4 dead). On 24 June 2006 an Aero Charter Services Encore overran at Upland, California (1 of 3 dead).
• Weather and orientation. On 20 December 2018 a Chen Aircrafts Citation V climbed out of Atlanta-Fulton County into cloud, lost control and crashed in a park (4 dead). The NTSB found spatial disorientation. Before 2008, and not counted: on 20 December 2001 a crew very likely lost orientation on a night positioning take-off in fog at Zurich, Swiss investigators found (2 dead).
• Pilot incapacitation. On 24 May 2019 a contract pilot ferrying an Encore at FL390 stopped answering. US fighter pilots saw him slumped, and the jet fell into the Atlantic. The NTSB could not determine why. On 9 January 2021 a pilot flying alone climbed to 31,000 ft, then spiralled down into the Mutton Mountains in Oregon; the NTSB found pilot incapacitation for reasons it could not determine. On 4 June 2023 a Citation V flew on for nearly two hours with no reply from the pilot before it crashed near Montebello, Virginia; the NTSB found a loss of cabin pressure for undetermined reasons had incapacitated him, and that no supplemental oxygen was carried.

Is this a charter aircraft?

Only the Cresco, Iowa, crash on 19 July 2006 is coded passenger, and it is before 2008, so it does not count. The Encore sat on a charter firm's certificate. The crew diverted to a 2,949 ft runway and could not stop on it; the NTSB found they had not used the information on board to learn its direction and length. Two of the four died. The NTSB also cited weak crew resource management training at US on-demand charter operators.

A Citation V can be flown by one pilot only with a single-pilot exemption. Compare the Citation Excel, which needs two pilots, and the smaller CitationJet.

How do I check a charter operator?

1. Ask for the air operator certificate (in the United States, Part 135) and check it with the aviation authority.
2. Ask for a third-party safety audit, such as ARGUS or Wyvern.
3. Ask how many pilots will fly your trip, and their experience on the type.
4. Ask how the operator handles icing, low cloud and short runways.

How do I tell if I am on one?

Flight trackers show the ICAO code C560 for every version.