Learjet (Bombardier) · Business jet
Learjet 60
Is the Learjet 60 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 3 fatal accidents counted in about 1.1 million flights since 2008.
Likely range 49 to 74
How the score is built
- Fatal accidents
- 3 in 1.1 million flights
2.7 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
- 2.7
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
- 1.1 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 176 flights per aircraft per year (fleet with a median service life of about 33 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: 0.77 full-loss equivalents per million flights over 29.5 million flights. Weight of this family's own record: 76%.
- Likely range
- 49 to 74
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
- 1 November 2026
LR60271 LLC, Greenacres, FL, United States of America: 9 of 9 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 60 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 Learjet 60This aircraft1 in 500,000
- 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
3 fatal accidents since 2008 count toward the score, with 15 people on board killed.
| Date | Flight | Killed | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| LR60271 LLCLearjet 60 · Greenacres, FL, United States of America | 9 killed / 9 on board | Bound from Austin to North Eleuthera near storms over South Florida, the Learjet 60 crew reported light ice and moderate turbulence and asked to climb. The jet then went into a steep descending right turn, a Mayday was called, and it hit a road in Greenacres. All nine died.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Unknown causeASN record | |
| Lytham Group Inc.Learjet 60 · ca 2 km W of Valencia-Arturo Michelena International Airport (VLN), Venezuela | 2 killed / 2 on board | After a missed approach at Valencia, Venezuela, the crew switched to a visual approach with a tight turn onto final. Neither pilot watched airspeed, and the Learjet 60 stalled and hit a house about 1 nm short of the runway. Bad weather contributed.Type: Loss of control in flightASN record | |
| Global Exec AviationLearjet 60 · Columbia Metropolitan Airport, SC (CAE), United States of America | 4 killed / 6 on board | Under-inflated tyres burst one after another on the takeoff roll at Columbia; the captain rejected the takeoff above V1 and the Learjet 60 overran into an embankment and burned. Wheel-well damage let the reversers give forward thrust. Four of the six on board died.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Virginia, lsf Dwiggins LLCLearjet 60 · Santa Cruz do Sul Airport, RS (CSU), Brazil | 1 killed / 5 on board | Before 2008, outside the period the score covers. Landing fast and long on a wet runway at Santa Cruz do Sul, the Learjet 60 ran off the end into a ravine and road; the co-pilot died. Investigators cited an unstable approach, no go-around, poor planning and an unqualified pilot in the right seat.Type: Runway excursionASN record |
The Learjet 60 sits in the middle of the business aircraft we rank: below the newer Learjet 45, above the older Learjet 55 and 35. Its record since 2008, three fatal crashes in about 1.1 million flights up to 3 November 2026, is weaker than that of most business jets designed since 1990. The latest, near Greenacres, Florida, on 1 November 2026, has no published cause.
What is the Learjet 60 and who flies it?
The Learjet 60 is a midsize business jet seating about seven. It grew out of the Learjet 55: Learjet stretched the 55's fuselage, kept its wing with winglets and its T-tail, and swapped the Garrett TFE731 engines for Pratt & Whitney Canada PW305As. It entered service in 1993; the 60XR of 2007 added a Collins Pro Line 21 cockpit. About 430 were built and about 350 were seen flying in 2022.
You are most likely to board one on a charter, an air ambulance or a company jet. It is certified for two pilots, so every flight needs a captain and a co-pilot.
What matters in the Learjet 60's design?
These are traits of the type and of high-flying jets in general, not findings about any accident.
- Engines. Two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW305A turbofans sit on the rear fuselage, and the jet is certified to 51,000 feet, higher than airliners usually fly.
- T-tail. Like every Learjet, it carries its horizontal tail on top of the fin, clear of the engine exhaust and the wing's wake in normal flight. T-tail jets carry stall warning systems because a deep stall can blanket the tail.
- Thrust reversers. After the 2008 Columbia overrun, the NTSB named deficiencies in the design and certification of the Learjet 60's thrust reverser system as a contributing factor (details below).
The fatal record by flight purpose
Four fatal events are listed. The score counts only accidents from 1 January 2008 on, so three count (how we count): two passenger or charter flights and one private or business flight. The fourth, in Brazil in 2002, is history and does not count.
- 1 November 2026, LR60271 LLC, Greenacres, Florida: 9 of 9 died on a charter from Austin to North Eleuthera, Bahamas. The ASN record says the crew reported light clear ice and moderate turbulence, then increasing precipitation, and were cleared to climb; the jet then entered a descending right turn, a Mayday was called, and it hit a road. The NTSB is investigating and no cause is published, so we count it as undetermined.
- 5 May 2013, Lytham Group Inc., near Valencia, Venezuela: 2 of 2 died. Investigators found the crew did not monitor airspeed in a tight turn onto final, and the jet stalled.
- 19 September 2008, Global Exec Aviation, Columbia, South Carolina: 4 of 6 died. Under-inflated tyres burst on take-off and the jet overran. In 2010 the NTSB gave as probable cause the tyre maintenance and a rejected take-off above V1, with a thrust reverser design flaw as a contributing factor.
- 7 October 2002, American Virginia, lsf Dwiggins LLC (before 2008, not counted), Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil: 1 of 5 died after an unstable approach on a wet runway, with an unqualified pilot in the right seat, Brazil's CENIPA found.
With three counted crashes, confidence is low and the likely range of the score is wide. The score rests mostly on the Learjet 60's own record; the record of other modern business jets pulls it a little.
How to check a Learjet 60 charter
- Ask which company holds the operator certificate for your flight. In the US that is a Part 135 certificate; check the name with the FAA.
- Ask for a recent third-party audit: ARGUS, Wyvern or IS-BAO.
- Confirm two pilots, both type-rated on the Learjet 60.
- Make sure your trip is sold as a charter under that certificate. A private (Part 91) flight sold to paying passengers is an illegal charter.
How to tell if you are on one
Flight trackers show LJ60 for the Learjet 60 and the 60XR. Look for two rear engines, winglets and a T-tail.
Questions people ask
Is the Learjet 60 a safe plane?
Our score counts three fatal crashes in about 1.1 million flights from 2008 to 3 November 2026, a weaker record than most business jets designed since 1990 but better than older Learjets such as the 35 and 55. A fourth fatal crash, in Brazil in 2002, came before 2008 and does not count. With three counted crashes, one more would move the score a lot. The operator and crew matter more than the type.
What happened to the Learjet 60 that crashed in Greenacres, Florida?
On 1 November 2026 a Learjet 60 flying from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas went into a steep descending turn over South Florida, a Mayday was called, and it hit a road in Greenacres. All nine people on board died. The NTSB is investigating and had not published a cause at our data cut-off.
Does the Learjet 60 need two pilots?
Yes. The Learjet 60 and 60XR are certified for a crew of two, a captain and a co-pilot, on every flight. If a charter operator offers one with a single pilot, book elsewhere.
What is the difference between the Learjet 55 and the Learjet 60?
The Learjet 60 is a development of the 55 with a longer fuselage and Pratt & Whitney Canada PW305A engines in place of the 55's Garrett TFE731s. It first flew in 1990, about a decade after the 55, and has a roomier cabin and longer range.
Is the Learjet 60 hard to fly at high altitude?
Every jet that cruises near its ceiling has a narrow band between its stall speed and its maximum Mach number, which pilots call the coffin corner, and small fast jets such as the Learjet 60 fly closer to it than airliners do. Strong turbulence can push the speed out of that band in either direction, and an overspeed can make the nose drop (Mach tuck). That is why pilots are taught to go around thunderstorms with a wide margin rather than climb over them. These are general facts about high-altitude flying, not findings about any Learjet 60 accident.
How do I check a private jet charter company?
Ask which company holds the operator certificate for your flight, not just the broker's name, and check it with the national aviation authority. Ask for a recent third-party safety audit such as ARGUS, Wyvern or IS-BAO, and confirm that both pilots are type-rated on the aircraft.
Sources
- 1.ASN record: LR60271 LLC Learjet 60, Greenacres, Florida, 1 November 2026 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 2.ASN record: Lytham Group Learjet 60, near Valencia, Venezuela, 5 May 2013 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 3.ASN record: Global Exec Aviation Learjet 60, Columbia, South Carolina, 19 September 2008 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 4.ASN record: American Virginia Learjet 60, Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil, 7 October 2002 (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 176 flights per aircraft per year (fleet with a median service life of about 33 years). Uncertainty roughly ±30%.