Learjet (Bombardier) · Business jet
Learjet 40/45/70/75
Is the Learjet 40/45/70/75 safe? It ranks #4 of 18 private and business aircraft families we rate, with 2 fatal accidents counted in about 2.3 million flights since 2008.
Likely range 57 to 83
How the score is built
- Fatal accidents
- 2 in 2.3 million flights
0.88 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
- 2
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
- 2.3 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 189 flights per aircraft per year (fleet with a median service life of about 28 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: 0.82 full-loss equivalents per million flights over 28.4 million flights. Weight of this family's own record: 87%.
- Likely range
- 57 to 83
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
- 28 January 2026
VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, Baramati Airport, Baramati, Pune district, Maharashtra, India: 5 of 5 people on board died.
- Hull losses
- 12
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 Learjet 40/45/70/75 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 Learjet 40/45/70/75This aircraft1 in 1.1 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 14 people on board killed.
| Date | Flight | Killed | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| VSR Ventures Pvt LtdLearjet 45XR · Baramati Airport, Baramati, Pune district, Maharashtra, India | 5 killed / 5 on board | After a go-around at uncontrolled Baramati with the runway not in sight, the Learjet 45XR crashed beside the runway 11 threshold on its second approach and burned. All five died, including Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. The investigation has not published a cause.Type: Unknown causeASN record | |
| Mexican GovernmentLearjet 45 · 12 km W of Mexico City-Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX), Mexico | 9 killed / 9 on board | On approach to Mexico City with the interior minister aboard, the Learjet 45 closed too fast on a Boeing 767 ahead, flew into its wake and dived into a city street; all nine on board and seven on the ground died. Investigators cited crew training and a slow speed reduction.Type: TurbulenceASN 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuerza Aérea MexicanaLearjet 45XR · near Xalapa Airport (JAL), Mexico | 6 killed / 6 on board | Military operation. The Mexican Air Force Learjet 45XR crashed and burned shortly after taking off from Xalapa for Villahermosa, killing all six on board. No cause is given in the record.Type: Unknown causeASN record | |
| Eurojet ItaliaLearjet 45 · 0,3 km E of Milano-Linate Airport (LIN), Italy | 2 killed / 2 on board | Before 2008, outside the period the score covers. Rotating at Milan Linate, the Learjet 45 hit a flock of pigeons that knocked out the left engine. Turning back, the captain pulled the working engine to idle and the jet stalled and crashed near a warehouse. Investigators cited the failure procedure not flown and poor CRM.Type: Bird strikeASN record |
The Learjet 45 family has a short fatal record, but a short record is not proof of a low risk. Since 2008 the family has flown about 2.3 million flights, and two crashes count in our data. That puts it near the top of the business aircraft we rank, just behind the Challenger 300, the Phenom 300 and the Citation Excel, but with so few events the likely range of the score is wide. Treat the result as low confidence.
Who flies the Learjet 40, 45, 70 and 75?
The Learjet 45 first flew in 1995 and entered service in 1998. The shorter 40 followed, and the 70 and 75 are refreshed versions with new avionics. About 810 were built and about 660 were seen flying in 2022. Production has ended.
It is a two-pilot light jet that carries up to eight passengers. You find it on charter, in corporate flight departments, in fractional ownership and with private owners. Governments fly it too.
What is the record, and what happened at Baramati?
Up to 3 November 2026 our data lists four fatal events. Two count toward the score:
- 28 January 2026, VSR Ventures, Baramati, India: a Learjet 45XR on a passenger flight went around from its first approach to runway 11 without the runway in sight, then crashed short of the threshold on the second approach and burned. All five died, including Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. India's AAIB has published a preliminary report only, so no cause is known.
- 4 November 2008, Mexican Government, near Mexico City: all nine on board and seven people on the ground died. Mexican investigators found a loss of control in the wake turbulence of a Boeing 767 ahead, with crew training and a delay in reducing speed among the contributing factors.
Two events do not count. The Eurojet Italia crash at Milan Linate on 1 June 2003 came before 2008, when our count starts: both crew died after a bird strike on take-off. Italy's ANSV found a stall during the return to the airport, with the flight manual's engine-failure procedure not followed and poor crew coordination as contributing factors. The Mexican Air Force crash near Xalapa on 21 February 2021, with six dead, was a military flight. See the aircraft methodology for the rules.
By purpose, the counted events are one passenger flight (Baramati) and one government flight (Mexico City, listed as other). None is a cargo, training, ferry or ambulance flight.
What do the crashes have in common?
No single design fault shows up. In the two events with official findings, Mexico City and the uncounted Linate crash, investigators pointed to how the crew handled the situation: speed control in the wake of another jet, and the response to an engine failure. The Baramati cause is still open.
Compared with the older Learjet 35, this family has far fewer fatal crashes per flight. It is also a newer design. But the flight count is low and two counted events can move the picture quickly.
How can you check a charter operator?
- Ask for the operator's air operator certificate and check it with the national aviation authority. It must cover charter flights.
- Ask whether two pilots fly the aircraft. Do not accept less.
- Look for an independent safety audit, such as the Wyvern or ARGUS rating.
- Check that the aircraft is on that operator's certificate, not only on a broker's list.
- Ask how many hours each pilot has on the Learjet 45 family, not only in total.
How do you know if you are on one?
The ICAO type codes are LJ40, LJ45, LJ70 and LJ75. The two engines sit on the rear fuselage. See also the Hawker 800, an older and larger midsize jet.
Questions people ask
Is the Learjet 45 a safe jet?
It has a short fatal record. Up to 3 November 2026 our data lists four fatal events for the 40/45/70/75 family. The score counts two of them, in about 2.3 million flights since 2008. That is a small sample, so the confidence is low and the likely range of the score is wide. The newest event, at Baramati in January 2026, is still under investigation.
What happened in the Learjet 45 crash at Baramati?
On 28 January 2026 a Learjet 45XR operated by VSR Ventures crashed on its second approach to runway 11 at Baramati, India. All five on board died, including Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. India's AAIB has published a preliminary report only. No cause has been published.
Does the Learjet 45 need two pilots?
Yes. The Learjet 40, 45, 70 and 75 are certified for a crew of two, a captain and a first officer. A charter offered with one pilot is a reason to book elsewhere.
What is the difference between the Learjet 40, 45, 70 and 75?
The 40 is a shortened Learjet 45. The 70 and 75 are later versions of the 40 and 45 with new avionics. All share the design that first flew in 1995, so we treat them as one family. Flight trackers show LJ40, LJ45, LJ70 or LJ75.
Sources
- 1.ASN record: VSR Ventures Learjet 45XR, Baramati, India, 28 January 2026 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 2.ASN record: Mexican Government Learjet 45, near Mexico City, 4 November 2008 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 3.ASN record: Eurojet Italia Learjet 45, Milan Linate, 1 June 2003 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 4.ASN record: Fuerza Aérea Mexicana Learjet 45XR, near Xalapa, 21 February 2021 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 5.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 189 flights per aircraft per year (fleet with a median service life of about 28 years). Uncertainty roughly ±30%.