Embraer · Business jet
Embraer Phenom 300
Is the Embraer Phenom 300 safe? It ranks #2 of 18 private and business aircraft families we rate, with 2 fatal accidents counted in about 2.2 million flights since 2008.
Likely range 59 to 90
How the score is built
- Fatal accidents
- 2 in 2.2 million flights
0.9 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
- 1.3
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
- 2.2 million
Estimated flights of all kinds. Flights of all kinds (private, charter, corporate, cargo, training and other civil use) 2009 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 315 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: 0.84 full-loss equivalents per million flights over 28.5 million flights. Weight of this family's own record: 86%.
- Likely range
- 59 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
- 2 January 2023
Eagle Jet 300 LLC, Provo Airport, UT (PVU), United States of America: 1 of 4 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 Embraer Phenom 300 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 Embraer Phenom 300This aircraft1 in 1.7 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 5 people on board killed.
| Date | Flight | Killed | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Jet 300 LLCEMB-505 Phenom 300 · Provo Airport, UT (PVU), United States of America | 1 killed / 4 on board | Left outside for about 40 minutes in light snow and freezing mist with no de-icing, the chartered Phenom 300 pitched up on takeoff from Provo, rolled left and hit the ground. One pilot died; the other three on board survived. The NTSB cited ice on the wings.Type: IcingASN record | |
| Salem AviationEMB-505 Phenom 300 · Blackbushe Airport (BBS), United Kingdom | 4 killed / 4 on board | Joining the circuit at Blackbushe, the Phenom 300 climbed over a microlight on TCAS alerts, then dived at the short runway far too fast and touched down 710 m in. It overran into a car park and burned; all four survived the impact but died in the fire. The AAIB cited overload.Type: Runway excursionASN record |
Two fatal Phenom 300 crashes up to 3 November 2026 is too short a record to judge the jet with confidence: one was a charter that took off with ice on the wings at Provo in 2023, the other a private landing that overran at Blackbushe in 2015. With about 2.2 million flights, the score rests mostly on the jet's own record. It ranks near the top of the business aircraft we rank, just behind the Challenger 300, but with two events the likely range of the score is wide and confidence is low. The jet can be flown by one pilot or two, so ask which you will get.
What is the Phenom 300?
Embraer's Phenom 300 first flew in 2008 and entered service in 2009. About 960 have been built and about 900 are in service. The versions are the Phenom 300 and the updated 300E. The ICAO code is E55P for both. It seats up to eight in a typical layout.
It flies as a private owner's jet, in fractional programs and charter fleets, and with corporate flight departments. It sits a step above most of the CitationJet range.
Does it matter if one pilot or two fly?
The Phenom 300 is certified for single-pilot operation, so an owner can fly it alone. A single pilot sets up the avionics, handles radio calls, watches the weather and makes every decision. A second pilot gives a cross-check on each of those tasks. Many charter and fractional operators use two pilots. Ask which crew you will have, because the certificate allows both.
Our data does not show crew size for most events, so we draw no conclusion on single against two pilots. At Provo, two pilots were on board.
What is the fatal record?
Both events count under our methodology.
- 31 July 2015, Salem Aviation, Blackbushe, United Kingdom. The aircraft was on a private flight from Milan. In the circuit it climbed to pass above a microlight it was overtaking, which set off collision alerts, then descended steeply and crossed the threshold at about 151 knots against a target of 108. It touched down 710 m along a 1,059 m runway, overran and hit cars in a car park. All four on board died. The UK AAIB investigated.
- 2 January 2023, Eagle Jet 300, Provo, Utah. On a charter flight, the aircraft stood outside for about 40 minutes in light snow and freezing mist with no de-icing, then rolled left after take-off. One pilot died, and the other three on board survived. The NTSB probable cause was ice on the wings and a stall on take-off.
That makes one charter and one private event. There are no excluded fatal events.
What do non-fatal events add?
On 27 December 2022 a chartered Phenom 300 (Skystallion) overran at Hawthorne, California, on a wet runway, with no injuries. The NTSB cited reduced braking on the water-covered runway. That is a different problem from Provo, but the same lesson: runway state and weather decide many business jet accidents.
How do I check a charter operator?
- Ask for the air operator certificate (in the United States, Part 135, or the national equivalent) and check it with the authority.
- Ask for a third-party safety audit, such as ARGUS or Wyvern.
- Ask for two pilots and their hours on the type.
- In winter, ask how the operator de-ices and who decides to delay.
Compare with the Citation Excel, which requires two pilots. Embraer's smaller Phenom 100 and larger Praetor have their own pages.
Questions people ask
Is the Embraer Phenom 300 safe?
Our data lists 2 fatal events up to 3 November 2026, both counted, in about 2.2 million estimated flights. That is a short record, so the confidence is low and the likely range of the score is wide, although the jet ranks near the top of the business aircraft we rank, just behind the Challenger 300. One event was a charter flight with ice on the wings.
Can one pilot fly the Phenom 300?
Yes. The Phenom 300 is certified for one pilot, and some owners fly it alone. Many charter and fractional operators use two pilots.
What caused the Phenom 300 crash at Provo in 2023?
On 2 January 2023 a chartered Phenom 300 took off from Provo, Utah, after about 40 minutes outside in light snow with no de-icing. The NTSB probable cause was ice on the wing and a stall on take-off. One pilot died and three people survived.
What is the difference between the Phenom 300 and 300E?
The 300E is the updated version with a refreshed interior and cockpit changes. Both use the ICAO code E55P, so a flight tracker cannot tell them apart.
Sources
- 1.ASN record: Eagle Jet 300 Embraer Phenom 300, Provo, Utah, 2 January 2023 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 2.ASN record: Salem Aviation Embraer Phenom 300, Blackbushe, United Kingdom, 31 July 2015 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 3.ASN record: Skystallion Embraer Phenom 300, Hawthorne, California, 27 December 2022 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 4.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) 2009 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 315 flights per aircraft per year (fleet with a median service life of about 27 years). Uncertainty roughly ±30%.