Cessna (Textron Aviation) · Business jet
Cessna Citation X
Is the Cessna Citation X safe? It is not ranked yet: with 1 fatal accident counted in about 1.3 million flights since 2008, its record is too short to place it among the others: its score could be anywhere from 54 to 90.
Likely range 54 to 90
How the score is built
- Fatal accidents
- 1 in 1.3 million flights
0.79 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
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
- 1.3 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 197 flights per aircraft per year (fleet with a median service life of about 62 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: 0.83 full-loss equivalents per million flights over 29.4 million flights. Weight of this family's own record: 78%.
- Likely range
- 54 to 90
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
- 1 March 2012
Asia Today Ltd., ca 4 km E of Egelsbach Airport, Germany: 5 of 5 people on board died.
- Hull losses
- 4
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 Cessna Citation X 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 Cessna Citation XThis aircraft1 in 1.3 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
1 fatal accident since 2008 counts toward the score, with 5 people on board killed.
| Date | Flight | Killed | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Today Ltd.750 Citation X · ca 4 km E of Egelsbach Airport, Germany | 5 killed / 5 on board | Approaching runway 27 at Egelsbach from Linz, the crew of the Citation X switched from instrument to visual flight rules. Soon after, the jet hit trees, came down in woods and burned; all five on board died. The record gives no cause.Type: Flight into terrainASN record |
One fatal event is on the Citation X record, and nobody died on board in the cases since. It is a short list, drawn from about 1.3 million estimated flights from 2008, the period the score covers, to 3 November 2026. That is too few to rank the type yet: confidence is low, and its likely score range is wide.
What is the Citation X?
It is a large, fast business jet from Textron Aviation. It first flew in 1993 and entered service in 1996. About 335 were built and about 330 were seen flying in 2022. It seats about eight. Production has ended. The Citation X+ is the later version.
The type flies for corporate departments, owners and charter operators, usually on long trips. It has a swept wing and a high cruise altitude, and it is flown by two pilots. For a slower sister type, see the Citation Sovereign.
What was the fatal event?
On 1 March 2012 a Citation X operated by Asia Today approached Egelsbach, Germany, from Linz, Austria. The crew changed from instrument to visual flight rules, and soon after, the jet hit trees and burned in woods. All five on board died. ASN's record gives no cause. It counts under our methodology as an other (executive) flight.
What do the non-fatal cases show?
Our data counts four civil Hull lossAn accident in which an aircraft is destroyed or damaged beyond economic repair. People may or may not be hurt.More in the glossary for the type: the Egelsbach crash, Toluca, Belmar and Jamestown. San Diego was damaged but not written off.
- Landing and take-off. On 27 August 2015 at Toluca, Mexico, a Citation X left the runway after thrust reversers deployed unevenly. On 1 April 2023 a Discovery Jets Citation X on a ferry flight left the runway on landing at Belmar, New Jersey; the NTSB found the pilots lost directional control in gusting wind, with a severe thunderstorm approaching. On 17 September 2025 a Part 135 jet aborted take-off at San Diego after a nose-wheel vibration and the nose gear collapsed. All six aboard left safely. That report is still preliminary.
- Smoke and a silent radio. On 5 August 2024 a Citation X+ on a US Part 91 business flight went silent on the radio during a climb, descended with emergency code 7700 and hit the ground just short of the runway at Jamestown, New York. The pilot was seriously hurt, the copilot slightly. Both reported an electrical smoke smell. The report is preliminary and the cause is open.
The Jamestown case is an NTSB open investigation. This page does not give a cause.
Who flies it, and what checks apply?
Two pilots fly this type, but operators differ. Part 135 charter flights have stricter rules than private Part 91 flights.
- Ask for the air operator certificate (in the United States, Part 135) and check it with the authority.
- Ask for a recent third-party audit, such as ARGUS or Wyvern.
- Ask how many pilots fly, and how recently they trained on the type.
- Ask what the crew does after smoke or cabin pressure warnings.
How do I tell if I am on one?
Flight trackers show the ICAO code C750 for the Citation X and the X+. Look for the strongly swept wing and rear engines.
Questions people ask
How many fatal crashes has the Cessna Citation X had?
One in our data up to 3 November 2026: Asia Today at Egelsbach, Germany, on 1 March 2012, with 5 dead. It counts under our rules. The estimated flights since 2008 are about 1.3 million, so the confidence is low and the type is not ranked yet.
How fast is the Citation X?
It is among the fastest civil jets in service, with a maximum operating speed of about Mach 0.92, a little higher on the X+. It cruises high, often above 40,000 feet.
Is the Citation X flown by one pilot or two?
Two. It is a large, fast jet with a type certificate that sets a crew of two pilots.
What is the difference between the Citation X and the Citation X+?
The X+ is the later, upgraded version. Both share the ICAO code C750, so flight trackers do not separate them.
Sources
- 1.ASN record: Asia Today Citation X, near Egelsbach, Germany, 1 March 2012 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 2.ASN record: Accent Stripe Citation X+, Jamestown, New York, 5 August 2024 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 3.ASN record: Jem Air Holdings Citation X, San Diego, 17 September 2025 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 4.ASN record: Citation X, Toluca, Mexico, 27 August 2015 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 5.ASN record: Discovery Jets Citation X, Belmar-Monmouth, New Jersey, 1 April 2023 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 6.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 197 flights per aircraft per year (fleet with a median service life of about 62 years). Uncertainty roughly ±30%.