Embraer Phenom 100

The one fatal Phenom 100 crash in our data happened at Gaithersburg, Maryland, on 8 December 2014, when a jet operated by Sage Aviation stalled on approach in snow and icing. Three people on board and three in a house died. Up to 3 November 2026 there is no other fatal event in about 0.7 million estimated flights. One event in a fleet this small cannot rate the aircraft: confidence is low, the score still leans partly on the record of modern business jets as a class, and the type is not ranked yet.

What went wrong at Gaithersburg?

The jet was arriving from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with a pilot and two passengers. The NTSB found that the pilot flew the approach in icing conditions with the wing and tail de-icing system off. He also set a landing reference speed of 92 knots, a figure for a lighter jet with no ice; the icing checklist called for about 121 knots. Ice built up and the jet stalled at a higher speed than a clean wing would. With de-icing off, the low-speed band on the airspeed display did not show the higher stall speed either. The stall came too low to recover from, and the jet hit three houses. The investigation is complete.

The NTSB probable cause is about how the approach was flown in icing. That gives a passenger something concrete to ask in winter, below.

Who flies the Phenom 100?

Embraer's entry-level jet first flew in 2007 and entered service in 2008. About 420 have been built and about 390 are in service, and it is still in production. The cabin seats four. The ICAO code E50P covers the Phenom 100, 100E and 100EV.

It is approved for single-pilot operation, and many owners fly it themselves. Charter firms fly it too, some with two pilots and some with one. A single pilot handles the radio, weather, systems and approach alone. A second pilot can call out speeds and checklist items, the kind of cross-check that matters in icing. In the United States, a private flight runs under Part 91 and a charter under Part 135, which adds operator oversight and regular pilot checks.

How much can 0.7 million flights tell you?

Not much on their own. Our flight count is a model estimate, good to about 30%, and a second fatal event would change the family's own rate a lot. So the score still borrows from the class record, as the methodology explains. The larger Phenom 300 has flown about three times as many flights, so its own record weighs more in its score.

What to ask before a Phenom 100 charter

• Which company holds the air operator certificate? Check it with the national aviation authority.
• Will one pilot fly, or two, and how many hours does each have on the type?
• In winter: when does the crew switch on wing and tail de-icing, and how do they adjust landing speeds for ice?
• Has the operator passed an independent audit, such as ARGUS or Wyvern?
• With an owner-pilot: how recent is their instrument flying, and what is the plan if the destination has ice or low cloud?

For another four-seat jet often flown by one pilot, compare the Citation Mustang.