Honda Aircraft Company · Business jet
HondaJet
Is the HondaJet safe? It is not ranked yet: with 1 fatal accident counted in about 220,000 flights since 2008, its record is too short to place it among the others: its score could be anywhere from 44 to 85.
Likely range 44 to 85
How the score is built
- Fatal accidents
- 1 in 0.22 million flights
4.6 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
- 0.8
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
- 0.22 million
Estimated flights of all kinds. Flights of all kinds (private, charter, corporate, cargo, training and other civil use) 2015 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 168 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: 0.8 full-loss equivalents per million flights over 30.5 million flights. Weight of this family's own record: 38%.
- Likely range
- 44 to 85
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
- 5 November 2024
Ice Man Holdings LLC, Falcon Field Airport (MSC/KFFZ), Mesa, AZ, United States of America: 4 of 5 people on board died.
- Hull losses
- 8
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 HondaJet 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 HondaJetThis aircraft1 in 520,000
- 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 4 people on board killed.
| Date | Flight | Killed | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Man Holdings LLCHonda HA-420 HondaJet · Falcon Field Airport (MSC/KFFZ), Mesa, AZ, United States of America | 4 killed / 5 on board | Taking off from Falcon Field, Mesa, the HondaJet reached about 130 knots, then slowed, overran, went through the fence and hit a car, then burned. The pilot, three passengers and the car's driver died; one passenger survived. The investigation has not published a cause.Type: Runway excursionASN record |
One HondaJet crash has caused deaths up to 3 November 2026: a take-off overrun at Mesa, Arizona, in November 2024, which the NTSB is still investigating. The fleet is young and has flown only about 0.2 million times, one of the smallest flight counts among the business types we score. With so little history, the record of modern business jets as a class carries a large share of the score, confidence is low, and the type is not ranked yet.
Why does the HondaJet look different?
Its two engines sit on pylons above the wings instead of on the rear fuselage. Honda chose the layout to cut drag at cruise speed and to free the rear fuselage for cabin and baggage space. The nose and wing are also shaped for smooth airflow. Honda Aircraft Company builds the jet in Greensboro, North Carolina. The prototype flew in 2003 and deliveries began in 2015. About 270 have been built and about 265 are in service, across the HA-420, Elite, Elite S and Elite II. It seats five, and the ICAO code is HDJT.
What happened at Mesa?
On 5 November 2024 a HondaJet of Ice Man Holdings LLC began its take-off from Falcon Field, Mesa, on a personal flight to Provo, Utah, under Part 91. Flight data shows it reached about 130 knots, then slowed. It ran off the end of the runway, through the airport fence and across a road, where it hit a car, and it burned. The pilot and three passengers died, as did the driver of the car. One passenger survived with serious injuries.
The NTSB preliminary report found no anomaly in the flight controls, the brakes or the recorded engine data so far. No cause has been published, and we do not suggest one. Our data counts the event, and nothing in the family's record was excluded.
Owner-flown or charter?
The HondaJet is certified for one pilot, and many are flown by their owners or by one hired pilot. Some charter and fractional firms fly it too. ASN lists non-fatal charter events, such as a Jet It 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 at Pittsburgh-Allegheny on 9 March 2022, in which no one on board was seriously hurt. One pilot handles radio, weather, systems and the approach alone; a second adds a cross-check. Charter operators in the United States hold a Part 135 certificate and face stricter pilot checks than private Part 91 flights.
Why is confidence so low?
We estimate about 0.2 million flights, give or take about 30%. One further fatal event would double the family's count, so the likely range of the score is wide and the class record carries a large share of it. See the methodology for how counting works.
Questions for a HondaJet operator
- Which company holds the air operator certificate (Part 135 in the United States)? Check it with the aviation authority.
- How many pilots will fly, and how many hours does each have on the HondaJet?
- When did the pilots last train in a simulator or with an instructor on the type?
- Does the operator have an ARGUS or Wyvern audit? A small firm may not, so ask what safety reviews it does instead.
- With an owner-pilot, ask about their instrument rating and recent flying.
For other small jets, see the Citation Mustang and the Embraer Phenom 100.
Questions people ask
Is the HondaJet safe?
One fatal event in about 0.2 million estimated flights up to 3 November 2026 is too little history to judge the jet by. Confidence is low, the record of modern business jets as a class carries a large share of its score, and the type is not ranked yet. The pilot's training and the operator matter most.
Can one pilot fly a HondaJet?
Yes. The HondaJet is certified for single-pilot operation and is often owner-flown. A few charter and fractional operators fly it too. Ask how many pilots they use.
Has the NTSB said what caused the Mesa HondaJet crash?
Not yet. Up to 3 November 2026 only the NTSB preliminary report is out, and it gives no cause. We will update this page when the final report is published.
How do I tell if I am on a HondaJet?
The ICAO type code is HDJT. The variants are the HA-420, Elite, Elite S and Elite II. The engines sit on pylons above the wing, which is easy to spot.
Sources
- 1.ASN record: Ice Man Holdings Honda HA-420 HondaJet, Mesa, Arizona, 5 November 2024 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 2.ASN record: Jet It Honda HA-420 HondaJet, Pittsburgh-Allegheny, 9 March 2022 (no fatalities) (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 3.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) 2015 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 168 flights per aircraft per year (fleet with a median service life of about 27 years). Uncertainty roughly ±30%.