Gulfstream Aerospace · Business jet
Gulfstream IV/G450
Is the Gulfstream IV/G450 safe? It ranks Shared rankWithin 1 point of other aircraft types: the difference is not meaningful.More in the glossary of 18 private and business aircraft families we rate, with 4 fatal accidents counted in about 2.1 million flights since 2008.
Likely range 52 to 73
How the score is built
- Fatal accidents
- 4 in 2.1 million flights
1.9 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
- 3.3
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
- 2.1 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 140 flights per aircraft per year (fleet with a median service life of about 48 years). Uncertainty roughly ±30%.
- Technology generation
- Classic business jet (type first flew before 1990)
Small fleets are pulled toward the record of the other types of their generation: 2.5 full-loss equivalents per million flights over 11.7 million flights. Weight of this family's own record: 86%.
- Likely range
- 52 to 73
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
- 15 December 2021
Helidosa Aviation Group, Santo Domingo-Las Américas International Airport (SDQ), Dominican Republic: 9 of 9 people on board died.
- Hull losses
- 11
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 Gulfstream IV/G450 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
- An ordinary day: accidents and violence1 in 1 million
- A day of skiing1 in 830,000
- One flight on the Gulfstream IV/G450This aircraft1 in 580,000
- 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
4 fatal accidents since 2008 count toward the score, with 23 people on board killed.
| Date | Flight | Killed | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helidosa Aviation GroupGulfstream G-IVSP · Santo Domingo-Las Américas International Airport (SDQ), Dominican Republic | 9 killed / 9 on board | After work on its right wing ground spoilers at La Isabela, the G-IVSP taxied out with three right spoilers still up and had control problems right after takeoff. Diverting to Las Américas, it hit trees and ground beside the runway, killing all nine. No final cause is recorded.Type: System failureASN record | |
| Arizin Ventures, LLC, owb SK Travel, LLCGulfstream G-IV · Bedford-Hanscom Field, MA (BED), United States of America | 7 killed / 7 on board | At Bedford the G-IV crew began the takeoff with the gust lock still holding the flight controls, having skipped the control check as on most earlier flights. They rejected the takeoff too late and the jet overran into a gully and burned, killing all seven.Type: Runway excursionASN record | |
| Universal Jet AviationGulfstream G-IV · Le Castellet Airport (CTT), France | 3 killed / 3 on board | Landing at Le Castellet after a short positioning hop, the G-IV veered left off the runway into rocks and trees, killing all three. The BEA found the ground spoilers had not been armed, checklists were skipped, and a nose-wheel steering input or fault may have played a part.Type: Runway excursionASN record | |
| Katanga Express, lsf Trident Aviation ServicesGulfstream G-IV · Bukavu-Kavumu Airport (BKY), Congo (Democratic Republic) | 4 killed / 12 on board | Landing at Bukavu after a stop in Goma, the G-IV touched down about 1,200 m along the 2,000 m runway, ran off the end and broke in two down an embankment. Both pilots and two passengers died, as did two farmers on the ground. No official cause is given in the record.Type: Runway excursionASN record |
Listed but not counted
These events happened before 2008 (the score covers 2008 onward, the period its flight count covers), on military, test or illegal flights, or were caused by a crime or a deliberate act, which says little about the aircraft design.
| Date | Flight | Killed | Why not counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberto-Culver USA, Inc.Gulfstream G-IV · Chicago-Executive Airport, IL (PWK), United States of America | 4 killed / 4 on board | Before 2008, outside the period the score covers. During the takeoff roll at Chicago Executive in a gusty crosswind, the G-IV veered off, hit a ditch, briefly got airborne and burned when the left wing tank exploded. The NTSB blamed the captain's loss of directional control and failure to reject the takeoff.Type: Runway excursionASN record |
The Gulfstream IV family has the most counted fatal events of the large Gulfstreams in our data: four counted fatal events in about 2.1 million flights from 2008 to 3 November 2026, all during take-off or landing. A fifth, in 1996, came before 2008 and does not count. The three final reports point to procedures at the runway, and the Bedford report also found a flaw in the aircraft's gust lock interlock. The long-range, two-pilot jet first flew in 1985 and is still widely used.
Who flies the Gulfstream IV today?
Gulfstream built about 900 of them and roughly 830 were seen flying in 2022. They fly for corporate flight departments, charter and fractional operators, governments and wealthy owners. The G450 is the 2004 update, with newer avionics and cabin on the same airframe. Because the design is from the 1980s, our method puts the whole family in the classic business-jet class.
What is the fatal record?
Our data lists five fatal events up to 3 November 2026. The score counts only accidents and flights from 1 January 2008 on, so four count, in about 2.1 million flights. With four counted events, confidence is low. Of the counted events, three were private, corporate or ambulance flights and one was a positioning flight. None was a passenger charter. The events:
- 30 October 1996, Alberto-Culver (before 2008, not counted), Chicago Executive: 4 of 4 died. The NTSB found loss of directional control in a gusty crosswind and a failure to reject the take-off.
- 12 February 2012, Katanga Express, Bukavu, DR Congo: 4 of 12 died after a 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. The record gives no official cause.
- 13 July 2012, Universal Jet Aviation, Le Castellet, France: 3 of 3 died on a positioning flight. The BEA found that the ground spoilers were not armed and the before-landing checklist was not fully completed.
- 31 May 2014, Arizin Ventures, Bedford, Massachusetts: 7 of 7 died. The NTSB found the gust lock still engaged and the flight control check skipped; flight data showed the crew had skipped a full check before 98% of their previous 175 take-offs in the aircraft.
- 15 December 2021, Helidosa Aviation Group, Santo Domingo: 9 of 9 died. According to the preliminary findings reported by ASN, three spoilers on the right wing stayed extended after work on their actuators. The Dominican investigator had published no final report or cause at our cut-off.
The NTSB also tested nine other G-IVs after Bedford. It found that the interlock between the gust lock and the throttles allowed more throttle travel than intended. That is a finding about the aircraft, not only about one crew.
How much does the record weigh?
Four events in 2.1 million flights is a real record, so the score rests mostly on the G-IV's own record; the average of the other classic business jets pulls it only a little. Our flight count is uncertain by about 30%, which widens the likely range of the score. A G-IV makes about 140 flights a year in our model, so the score is per flight, not per hour: each take-off and landing counts once, however long the leg. Compare it with the newer Gulfstream G650 family and the Gulfstream V, which have no counted fatal event but too few flights to be ranked yet, and the smaller Gulfstream G280, which has one in about 0.9 million flights.
How do I check an operator before I charter one?
- Ask for the air operator certificate and check the number with the national aviation authority. In the US, a charter flight needs a Part 135 certificate. A private Part 91 flight does not.
- Ask whether two pilots are type-rated on the aircraft, and how recently they trained.
- Look for an independent audit, such as ARGUS or Wyvern, and ask for the report.
- Ask whether the operator uses a standard checklist and flight control check on every take-off. Several reports above turned on skipped checks.
How can I tell if I am on one?
The ICAO type code is GLF4. The cabin has oval windows and two Rolls-Royce Tay engines at the tail.
Questions people ask
Is the Gulfstream IV safe to fly on?
Up to 3 November 2026 our data lists five fatal events on the G-IV family. The score counts the four from 2008 on, in roughly 2.1 million flights since 2008; the fifth, in 1996, does not count. That is more than the newer large Gulfstreams have, but the reports point mostly to handling and procedure at the runway, not to a common failure of the aircraft. The operator and crew matter more than the type.
Is the G450 the same aircraft as the Gulfstream IV?
Nearly. The G450 is a 2004 update of the G-IV airframe with newer avionics and cabin. Because the design dates from the 1980s, we group it with the classic business jets, not with the modern ones.
Why do Gulfstream IV accidents happen at the runway?
All five fatal events, the four counted ones and the uncounted 1996 crash, happened on take-off or landing. The Santo Domingo jet had flight control problems right after take-off and crashed on its emergency approach. Skipped checks, a locked control system, unarmed ground spoilers and a late rejected take-off appear in the official findings.
How can I tell if my private jet is a Gulfstream IV?
The ICAO type code is GLF4 on flight trackers and flight plans. The family includes the G-IV, G-IVSP, G300, G350, G400 and G450.
Sources
- 1.ASN record: Helidosa Aviation Group Gulfstream G-IVSP, Santo Domingo, 15 December 2021 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 2.ASN record: Arizin Ventures Gulfstream G-IV, Bedford, Massachusetts, 31 May 2014 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 3.ASN record: Universal Jet Aviation Gulfstream G-IV, Le Castellet, France, 13 July 2012 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 4.ASN record: Katanga Express Gulfstream G-IV, Bukavu, DR Congo, 12 February 2012 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 5.ASN record: Alberto-Culver Gulfstream G-IV, Chicago Executive, 30 October 1996 (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 140 flights per aircraft per year (fleet with a median service life of about 48 years). Uncertainty roughly ±30%.