# Plane Crashes in 2026: Recent Accidents, Investigations and Safety Facts By [Eoin Villarin](https://amvprosox.com/about). Published 2026-11-02. Canonical: https://amvprosox.com/blog/plane-crashes-2026-recent-incidents-flight-safety > A Learjet crash in Florida on November 1 is the latest of 2026. What investigators have confirmed about this year's plane crashes, and the numbers that show how rare they are. ## What plane crashes have happened recently in 2026, and is flying still safe? The most recent fatal crash was a Learjet 60 business jet that went down in Palm Beach County, Florida, on November 1, 2026, killing all nine people on board; the NTSB is investigating and has not stated a cause. No jet airliner had a fatal accident in October 2026. Earlier 2026 accidents include Air Canada Express Flight 8646 at LaGuardia on March 22 (2 deaths) and SATENA Flight 8849 in Colombia on January 28 (15 deaths). Flying remains very safe: IATA counted one accident per 759,646 flights in 2025. **Key takeaways** - A Learjet 60 business jet crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on November 1, 2026, killing all nine people on board, and the NTSB has not stated a cause. - AeroInside's October 2026 review logged nine jet airliner accidents and 59 incidents, with no fatal crash listed. - Air Canada Express Flight 8646 collided with a firefighting truck at LaGuardia on March 22, 2026, killing both pilots, and the NTSB has not determined a probable cause. - IATA counted 51 accidents and 8 fatal accidents among 38.7 million flights in 2025, or one accident per 759,646 flights. - Under ICAO Annex 13, a preliminary report is due within 30 days of an accident and a final report ideally within 12 months. - FAA data show 207 serious turbulence injuries on US airlines from 2009 through 2024, 166 of them crew members. On Sunday, November 1, 2026, a Learjet 60 business jet flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas crashed in a residential area of Palm Beach County, Florida. All nine people on board died. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading the investigation, and no cause has been determined. It is the latest in a run of 2026 crashes that have kept aviation safety in the news, from a runway collision at New York's LaGuardia Airport in March to a cargo jet overrun in Miami in September. Still, airline accidents remain rare: in 2025 there was one accident for every 759,646 flights worldwide, according to IATA. Below I list what investigators have confirmed so far, explain how crash investigations work, and share calm, practical tips for nervous flyers. The facts come from official investigators (NTSB, Colombia's DIACC, Indonesia's KNKT), civil aviation authorities, IATA, the Flight Safety Foundation and major news outlets, all linked inline. Causes appear only where investigators have stated them. ## Plane crashes in 2026 at a glance Notable civil (non-military) crashes of 2026, latest first, as reported by investigators or authorities as of November 2. | Date | Flight and aircraft | Location | On board | Deaths | Status | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 1 | Learjet 60 business jet | Palm Beach County, Florida | 9 | 9 | NTSB investigating | | Oct 3 | Latitude Air Ambulance Gulfstream G100 | Atlantic, off Nantucket | 6 | 6 presumed | No cause announced | | Sep 25 | Tracep Congo Aviation L-410 | Kenge, DR Congo | 17 | 17 | Investigation ordered | | Sep 6 | 21 Air Flight 7598, Boeing 767 freighter | Miami, Florida | 2 crew | 5 on the ground | Preliminary report Oct 1 | | Jul 7 | K2 Airways Flight 1732, Boeing 737 freighter | Arabian Sea, off Pakistan | 5 crew | Crew missing | No cause named | | Apr 27 | CityLink Aviation Cessna 208 | Near Juba, South Sudan | 14 | 14 | Early statement only | | Mar 22 | Air Canada Express Flight 8646, CRJ900 | LaGuardia, New York | 76 | 2 | Preliminary report Apr 23 | | Jan 28 | SATENA Flight 8849, Beechcraft 1900D | Norte de Santander, Colombia | 15 | 15 | Preliminary report Feb 10 | | Jan 17 | Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42 | South Sulawesi, Indonesia | 10 | 10 | Preliminary report Feb 20 | ## What happened in the Florida Learjet crash on November 1? The FAA said the Learjet 60 crashed at about 12:50 p.m. local time. It had left Austin-Bergstrom International Airport for North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas, [NBC News reported](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jet-crashes-florida-nine-people-board-rcna606874). US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said all nine people on the flight died, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said there were no reports of injuries on the ground. About 600 residents of a nearby mobile home community needed shelter for the night. This was a business jet, not a scheduled airline flight. FAA records show it is registered to a limited liability company in Delaware, according to [Aviation International News](https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2026-11-01/florida-learjet-crash-claims-nine). Details from air traffic control audio and flight tracking are not investigative findings. ## Were there any airline crashes in October 2026? No jet airliner had a fatal accident in October. [AeroInside's October review](https://www.aeroinside.com/22317/aeroinside-monthly-aviation-safety-review-october-2026) of commercial jet operations logged nine accidents and 59 incidents, with no fatal crash listed. Several were turbulence encounters, including one that injured eight people on an Avianca A320 bound for New York on October 9. Two other October losses were not airline flights: - **October 3, off Nantucket:** A Latitude Air Ambulance Gulfstream G100 flying from Bermuda to Boston with two pilots, two medical staff, a patient and a family member was lost. The operator said all six are presumed dead, [Al Jazeera reported](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/5/us-coastguard-suspends-search-for-six-on-board-crashed-medical-jet). - **October 5, Ondo State, Nigeria:** A Nigerian Air Force ATR 42 crashed near Igbokoda. The Air Force said all 25 people on board died, replacing an earlier preliminary figure of 32, [Nairametrics reported](https://nairametrics.com/2026/10/06/nigerian-air-force-releases-names-of-25-people-killed-in-ondo-crash/). ## What other major plane crashes happened in 2026? These are the year's other significant commercial aviation accidents, plus one serious incident, latest first. Each represents families still waiting for answers. ### September 30: flydubai FZ1073 diverts to Tabuk The Dubai to Tel Aviv flight made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, after what the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority called a security incident that was brought under control. The authority said some flight crew were injured and its investigation is ongoing, [Khaleej Times reported](https://www.khaleejtimes.com/aviation/uaes-gcaa-says-investigations-ongoing-in-dubai-tel-aviv-flydubai-flight-incident). ### September 25: Tracep Congo Aviation L-410, Kenge The DR Congo transport ministry said 17 people died, 13 passengers and four crew, when the turboprop crashed near Kenge in Kwango province, [AFP reported via Gulf News](https://gulfnews.com/world/top-officials-among-17-killed-in-dr-congo-air-crash-ministry-1.500689169). President Félix Tshisekedi ordered an investigation. ### September 6: 21 Air Flight 7598, Miami A Boeing 767-300 freighter flying for Amazon from San Juan overran runway 30 at Miami International Airport and struck two vehicles. The [NTSB preliminary report](https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Documents/DCA26MA352%20Prelim.pdf) says five people in a van on an airport perimeter road were killed and three people on the ground were seriously injured, while the two pilots had minor injuries. No probable cause has been determined. ### July 7: K2 Airways Flight 1732, Arabian Sea The Boeing 737-400 freighter disappeared on a flight from Sharjah to Karachi with five crew. Pakistani authorities located wreckage about 53 nautical miles south of Ormara, [Dawn reported](https://www.dawn.com/news/2013836/pm-calls-for-intensifying-search-rescue-operations-after-cargo-plane-disappears-from-radar-over-arabian-sea). In the latest update I found, from [AirlineRatings](https://www.airlineratings.com/articles/k2-crash-latest-update) on July 10, the crew and both flight recorders had not been found. ### April 27: CityLink Aviation Cessna 208, near Juba The Cessna 208 Caravan crashed about 20 km outside Juba on a flight from Yei, killing all 14 people on board. South Sudan's civil aviation authority said in an early statement that bad weather and low visibility may have played a part, [Al Jazeera reported](https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/27/plane-crashes-near-south-sudans-juba-killing-all-14-on-board). That is a preliminary view, not a finding. ### March 22: Air Canada Express Flight 8646, LaGuardia A Jazz Aviation CRJ900 from Montreal collided with an airport firefighting truck while landing on runway 4 at 11:37 p.m. Both pilots died, and 39 people were taken to hospitals, six with serious injuries, according to the [NTSB](https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/DCA26MA161.aspx). Its preliminary report sets out the sequence of events but does not determine a probable cause. ### January 28: SATENA Flight 8849, Colombia A Beechcraft 1900D on a scheduled flight from Cúcuta to Ocaña crashed into mountainous terrain, killing all 15 people on board. Colombia's investigation authority, DIACC, issued a [preliminary report](https://www.aerocivil.gov.co/investigacion/Accidentes/info/aeronautica_civil/media/1771252134_INFORME%20PRELIMINAR%20ACCID%20HK4709%20V03.pdf) on February 10. ### January 17: Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42, South Sulawesi An ATR 42-500 on a chartered surveillance flight crashed on Mount Bulusaraung while approaching Makassar, and all 10 people on board died. Indonesia's KNKT published a [preliminary report](https://knkt.go.id/Repo/Files/Laporan/Penerbangan/2026/KNKT.26.01.01.04-Preliminary-Report.pdf) on February 20 that contains facts only, with conclusions left for the final report. ![Bar chart of deaths in notable 2026 civil aviation accidents: Tracep L-410 17, SATENA 8849 15, CityLink Cessna 208 14, Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42 10, Florida Learjet 60 9, Latitude G100 6 presumed, 21 Air 767 5 on the ground, Air Canada Express 8646 2](https://amvprosox.com/api/img/1793627055422-wpap17) *People killed in notable 2026 civil aviation accidents, as reported so far. Data: NTSB, DIACC, KNKT and national authorities.* ## How rare are plane crashes? What the safety numbers show The latest full-year figures cover 2025. IATA's [2025 safety report](https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2026-releases/2026-03-09-01/), published March 9, 2026, found: - **51 accidents across 38.7 million flights**, or 1.32 per million flights, one accident per 759,646 flights. That improved on 1.42 in 2024. - **8 fatal accidents and 394 deaths on board**, up from 7 and 244 in 2024. Air India 171 and PSA Airlines Flight 5342 accounted for over three quarters of those deaths. - **About one fatal accident per 4.8 million flights**, which is what 8 fatal accidents in 38.7 million flights works out to. - **Audited airlines do better:** carriers on IATA's IOSA audit registry had 0.98 accidents per million flights, against 2.55 for others. The Flight Safety Foundation, which runs the Aviation Safety Network (ASN) database, counts differently. Its [2025 Safety Report](https://flightsafety.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2025-Safety-Report-FINAL.pdf) found 101 airliner accidents in 2025, down 28 percent from 140 in 2024. Fatal airliner accidents fell from 15 to 12, though those 12 killed 420 passengers and crew and 33 people on the ground. The totals differ because each group defines which aircraft count, but both show accidents are rare against roughly 40 million flights a year. As IATA Director General Willie Walsh put it, "Flying is the safest form of long-distance travel." ![Four cards with 2025 flying safety figures: 1.32 accidents per million flights, 38.7 million flights, 8 fatal accidents, and 26 turbulence accidents as the most common airliner accident type](https://amvprosox.com/api/img/1793627055983-ciouv9) *Key global flying safety figures for 2025. Data: IATA 2025 Safety Report and Flight Safety Foundation (ASN).* ## How do plane crash investigations work? Most countries follow Annex 13 to the Chicago Convention, the international rulebook set by ICAO. The 2026 cases show how it works. ![NTSB recorder specialist in the lab downloading an orange cockpit voice recorder from United Airlines flight 328](https://amvprosox.com/api/img/1793627057977-5e8hvl) *Recorder specialists in the NTSB lab download and analyze cockpit voice and flight data recorders as part of each investigation. Image: National Transportation Safety Board (NTSBgov), public domain* - **Who investigates:** The country where the crash happens leads, and countries that designed, built or operated the aircraft can take part. KNKT's ATR 42 investigation includes France's BEA, and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada joined the NTSB at LaGuardia. - **Black boxes:** Airliners carry a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and a flight data recorder (FDR). The NTSB's Vehicle Recorder Division [extracts, formats and analyzes](https://www.ntsb.gov/about/organization/RE) their data, as it did with both recorders after LaGuardia. - **Preliminary report, about 30 days:** IATA's [summary of Annex 13](https://www.iata.org/en/programs/safety/operational-safety/) says states should publish one within 30 days. The Miami report came 25 days after the accident. These reports contain facts, not conclusions. - **Final report, ideally within 12 months:** If it is not ready, investigators issue an interim statement on each anniversary. India's AAIB did so for Air India 171 on June 12, 2026, saying the final report would follow once all investigative work is complete, [ETV Bharat reported](https://www.etvbharat.com/en/bharat/aaib-issues-interim-statement-on-ahmedabad-plane-crash-probe-enn26061205802). The NTSB [aims for 12 to 24 months](https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/process/Pages/default.aspx). - **Prevention, not blame:** KNKT states its investigations do not apportion blame or liability, and the UK's AAIB [explains causes](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/air-accidents-investigation-branch/about) "without attributing blame." That is why I avoid repeating early theories: findings take months, and they are what make the next flight safer. ## Tips for nervous flyers: how to stay safe on a plane If the news has made you uneasy, that is understandable. The simplest habits help most, and many are about turbulence, the most common type of airliner accident in ASN data for four years running. ![Illuminated fasten seat belt sign and no smoking symbol on the overhead panel of an Airbus A320neo cabin](https://amvprosox.com/api/img/1793627058662-ixvowf) *Keeping your seatbelt fastened whenever you are seated is the simplest protection against unexpected turbulence. Image: Wasiul Bahar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons* - **Keep your seatbelt fastened whenever you are seated**, even with the sign off. The [FAA advises](https://www.faa.gov/travelers/fly_safe/turbulence) this, and a Flight Safety Foundation and pilots' federation briefing calls it the best way to prevent turbulence injuries. - **Listen to the safety briefing and read the card.** Knowing your nearest exit takes less than a minute. - **Buckle up young children.** The FAA says the safest place for children under two is an approved child seat or device. - **Follow carry-on rules** so bags stay put if the ride gets bumpy. - **Handle power banks with care.** ASN data counted 101 lithium battery thermal runaway events on passenger aircraft in 2025, up from 83. Tell the crew at once if a device gets hot or smokes. Turbulence can feel dramatic, but serious injuries are uncommon. FAA data show 207 serious turbulence injuries on US airlines from 2009 through 2024, and 166 were crew members, who spend much of each flight on their feet. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is flying still safe after the 2026 crashes? Yes. In 2025 there was one accident per 759,646 flights and 8 fatal accidents among 38.7 million flights, according to IATA. Every crash is investigated so its lessons reach other airlines. ### What was the most recent plane crash? As of November 2, 2026, the most recent widely reported fatal crash was the Learjet 60 business jet in Palm Beach County, Florida, on November 1, which killed all nine people on board. No jet airliner had a fatal accident in October. ### How long does a plane crash investigation take? Under ICAO Annex 13, a preliminary report is due within about 30 days and a final report ideally within 12 months. Complex cases take longer, and the NTSB aims for 12 to 24 months. ### What is a black box? It is the everyday name for two flight recorders. The cockpit voice recorder captures cockpit sound, and the flight data recorder logs how the aircraft and its systems performed. Investigators download both in specialist labs. ### What should I do during turbulence? Return to your seat, fasten your belt, secure children and follow crew instructions. FAA rules require passengers to be seated with belts fastened whenever the seatbelt sign is on. ### Where can I find official updates after a crash? Start with the lead investigator, such as the NTSB in the US, the BEA in France, the AAIB in the UK or the TSB in Canada, plus airline statements. Treat unverified social media claims with caution. ## The bottom line 2026 has brought painful losses, from the January crashes in Indonesia and Colombia to the Florida Learjet crash on November 1. Most investigations are still open, with only preliminary facts published. Serious accidents remain rare, and each one leads to lessons that make flying safer. My thoughts are with everyone who lost someone this year. I usually write about tech, websites and online business here, and I build websites for clients in the US and beyond. If you ever need help with a site of your own, you can [get in touch here](https://amvprosox.com/#contact-form).