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By Pat Sinnott, Founder of Peak Aviation Solutions. 21 years in aviation as a commercial pilot, multi-engine and instrument rated, with a BS in Flight Operations and Aviation Management. NBAA member.
Clients ask me some version of the same question all the time, usually in a quieter voice than the rest of the call: are private jets safe?
It's a fair question, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a sales pitch. So here's the honest version from a licensed commercial pilot who helped run a charter flight department and now books other people's flights for a living.
Quick Answer: Are Private Jets Safe?
Private jets flown by well-run, certificated charter operators have strong safety records, but safety depends on the specific operator and crew. U.S. airlines have the lowest accident rate in aviation. On-demand charter as a whole records a higher rate, though that category also includes small propeller aircraft and helicopters. Third-party audits such as ARGUS and Wyvern help identify the safest operators.
What Does the Accident Data Actually Say?
Here's the number most charter websites leave out.
In 2019, U.S. airlines flying under Part 121 recorded 0.188 accidents per 100,000 flight hours. On-demand charter under Part 135 recorded 0.903 per 100,000 hours, almost five times the airline rate (Aviation Week, reporting NTSB data). The NTSB has continued to study on-demand charter safety since (NTSB Special Investigation Report AIR-24-03).
Two things are true at once.
First, the airlines are extraordinarily safe, and on-demand charter as a category doesn't match them. Anyone who tells you otherwise without data is selling.
Second, "Part 135 on-demand" is a very broad bucket. It covers helicopter operations, small single-engine and piston airplanes flying into remote strips, and business jets flown by two professional pilots from major airports. Those are very different risk profiles lumped into one number.
On-demand charter is commercial air transportation flown under FAA Part 135 rules, where the customer hires the whole aircraft for a trip rather than buying a seat on a scheduled flight.
So the useful question isn't "are private jets safe" in general. It's "is this operator, this aircraft and this crew safe for this trip?" That's a question you can actually answer.
Why the Operator and Crew Matter More Than the Aircraft
Modern business jets are well-built, heavily maintained machines. When things go wrong in charter, the causes usually trace back to decisions: how an operator trains its pilots, how it manages fatigue and risk, and whether it pushes a flight that should have waited.
That's why I spend far more time on the operator and crew than on the airplane's brochure.
A lot of the pilots flying private jets have airline backgrounds too, so you're often getting airline experience in the front seats. What's harder is verifying it. You can't pull up the training records of the pilot flying your airline flight. With charter, independent third parties can do exactly that for you.
How Independent Audits Make Charter Safer
Three independent programs come up again and again in charter safety: ARGUS, Wyvern and IS-BAO. They overlap, but each one looks at safety from a different angle.
ARGUS: three rating levels
ARGUS International rates charter operators at three levels (SherpaReport):
- Gold: a review of the operator's safety history, pilot background checks and validation of operational control.
- Gold Plus: everything in Gold, plus an ARGUS on-site safety audit or IS-BAO registration.
- Platinum: the top rating, which requires a well-developed safety management system, a workable emergency response plan and documented procedures across the operation.
Wyvern: two programs, plus a trip report
Wyvern runs two separate operator programs (Wyvern):
- Wyvern Registered: a standard for operators that have not gone through a Wyvern audit, checked against fewer data points.
- Wyvern Wingman: Wyvern's audited standard, which checks more than 150 data points.
Wyvern also produces the PASS report (Pilot and Aircraft Safety Survey), a trip-specific check of the operator, the aircraft and the pilots assigned to a particular flight.
IS-BAO: three stages of safety management
IS-BAO, the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations, is a voluntary code of best practice for business aviation developed by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), with operators registered in three progressive stages. Independent auditors review an operator every two to three years across 13 operational areas (SherpaReport):
- Stage 1: an appropriate safety management system has been established.
- Stage 2: safety risks are being managed effectively.
- Stage 3: safety management is fully engrained in the company's culture and has been sustained over time.
| Program | Run by | Levels | Main focus | Trip-specific check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARGUS | ARGUS International | Gold, Gold Plus, Platinum | Operator history, pilot backgrounds, audits and safety management | ARGUS trip check |
| Wyvern | Wyvern | Registered, Wingman | Operator data standard; Wingman adds an audit and 150+ data points | PASS report |
| IS-BAO | IBAC | Stage 1, 2, 3 | Maturity of the operator's safety management system | None |
Source: SherpaReport (ARGUS and IS-BAO) and Wyvern, accessed September 2026.
None of these is required by the FAA. They're voluntary, which is exactly why they're useful: an operator that invites an outside auditor in is telling you something about its culture. The full breakdown, including what we check beyond the rating, is in ARGUS, Wyvern and the D085.
The Private Charter Safety Checklist
The Private Charter Safety Checklist is a five-point test any traveler can apply before booking: a legal Part 135 operator, the aircraft listed on its operations specification, a current third-party safety rating, a crew that passes a trip-level check, and adequate liability insurance.
- Is the operator legal? It must hold an FAA Part 135 certificate. The FAA lists certificated charter operators on its Safe Air Charter site.
- Is this aircraft authorized? The tail number should appear on the operator's D085 operations specification.
- Does the operator hold a current ARGUS or Wyvern rating? Ask which one, and when it was issued.
- Does the crew pass a trip-level check? A rating covers the company. Ask whether the pilots assigned to your flight have passed an ARGUS trip check or Wyvern PASS report.
- Is the insurance adequate? Ask for the liability limit and a certificate of insurance.
If a broker can't answer all five, that's your answer.
What I Tell a Nervous Flyer
Safety always comes first on every trip we book, and the vetting above is how we hold that line.
Comfort is a separate thing, and it matters too. People who are nervous about flying usually feel better in a larger aircraft. A tight turboprop or light jet cabin can feel claustrophobic, while a midsize or super-midsize cabin gives you room to stand, move and settle in.
So if you're an anxious flyer, my honest advice is to step up a size when the budget allows. The larger cabin doesn't make the flight safer on paper. It often makes it feel a lot better, and that's worth something on a two- or three-hour trip.
What Actually Matters When the Weather Turns
Rain or snow on its own is usually no issue at all for a business jet, as long as the runway is long enough for the conditions. What deserves close attention is the ceiling (how high the cloud base is) and the visibility at the departure, destination and alternate airports. Those numbers decide whether an approach can legally and safely be flown.
Pilots read them in coded weather reports: the METAR, which describes current conditions, and the TAF, which forecasts conditions for the next day or so. Many brokers aren't trained to read these reports. At Peak we read them ourselves, so we don't rely only on the flight crew to spot a weather problem before it reaches our clients. When the forecast ceiling or visibility looks marginal, we talk to the crew, line up an alternate airport, and tell the client early.
Are Private Jets Safer Than Driving?
People often compare flying with driving. The comparison is harder than it looks, because the data is measured differently (per mile, per trip, per flight hour), and the answer changes with the measure. The honest takeaway is narrower: a charter flown by a vetted operator and a professional two-pilot crew is a very different risk from a small private aircraft flown by an owner, and it's the vetting that makes the difference.
Safety Questions People Ask About Private Jets
Are private jets safer than commercial airlines?
No. U.S. airlines flying under Part 121 have the lowest accident rate in aviation: 0.188 accidents per 100,000 flight hours in 2019, compared with 0.903 for on-demand Part 135 charter, according to NTSB data reported by Aviation Week. The charter category also includes small propeller aircraft and helicopters, so operator and crew quality matter more than the category average.
Are private jets safe to charter?
Chartered private jets are safest when a certificated Part 135 operator flies an aircraft listed on its operations specification, holds a current third-party safety rating such as ARGUS or Wyvern, assigns a trained and current crew, and carries adequate liability insurance. Trip-level checks on the specific pilots add another layer beyond the company rating.
What are the safest private jets?
No single aircraft model is the safest private jet. Modern business jets from established manufacturers share high maintenance and certification standards, and accident causes in charter usually involve operational decisions rather than the aircraft type. The operator's training, safety management system and, above all, a well-experienced flight crew have more effect on safety than the model chosen.
Do private jets have two pilots?
Most charter jets fly with two pilots, and many aircraft require two by certification. Some light jets and turboprops are certified for a single pilot, and Part 135 rules allow single-pilot operations under specific conditions. Travelers can ask the operator or broker whether a trip will be flown with two pilots before booking.
How can I check if a private jet operator is safe?
Travelers can confirm that the operator holds an FAA Part 135 certificate using the FAA's Safe Air Charter list, ask for its ARGUS or Wyvern rating, request a Wyvern PASS report or ARGUS trip check for the flight, and ask for the operator's certificate of insurance. A charter broker can collect and verify these documents.
Is it safe to fly private in bad weather?
Rain or snow alone is usually not a problem for a business jet with enough runway. The key limits are the cloud ceiling and visibility, reported in METAR and forecast in TAF weather reports. Safety depends on the crew and the broker reading those reports, and on changing plans before conditions fall below safe minimums.
The Honest Bottom Line on Private Jet Safety
Are private jets safe? The ones flown by vetted operators with checked crews and real insurance have earned their records. The category average won't tell you that. The checklist will.
Want the vetting done for you?
Every trip we arrange goes through the same process, laid out on our safety standards page: operator certificate and D085 confirmed, ARGUS or Wyvern rating verified, a trip-level check on the crew assigned to you, and insurance limits set by aircraft size. You see the operator, the tail number and the rating before you approve anything. What you won't see is the one call we make if something about the crew or weather doesn't look right, and that's the call that matters.
Set up a time to talk with Pat about how we vet your trip, or get a quote for a specific flight. For the full picture of what we do, read what a private jet broker does.
Related guides
- ARGUS Rating, Wyvern and the D085: How to Vet a Charter Operator
- What Does a Private Jet Broker Do? A Pilot-Broker Explains
- Flying Private for the First Time: TSA, ID, Pets, Smoking and Catering
Related services
- Request a charter quote, all-in pricing on any trip
- Empty leg alerts and live inventory, free subscription, pay only when you fly
- Meet Pat Sinnott, the pilot who vets every operator
Peak Aviation Solutions, Private Jet Charter Broker
Peak Aviation Solutions is a pilot-founded private jet charter broker headquartered in Bozeman, Montana, arranging charter flights nationwide and worldwide. Pilot-founded, simply exceptional.
Founder: Pat Sinnott, commercial multi-engine rated pilot with 21 years in private aviation. Helped grow Summit Aviation’s flight department from one airplane to 21 before founding Peak. NBAA member.
Services: private jet charter brokerage, empty leg flights and free empty leg alerts, business travel, personal travel, group travel, and event charter. No membership fees; clients pay per trip. Third-party safety vetting on every flight.
Coverage: roughly 5,000 public-use airports across the United States, only about 500 of which have commercial airline service (FAA), plus Canada. About 80 percent of Peak’s flying happens outside Montana.
Contact: charter@flypeak.com · (406) 296-3256 · flypeak.com · Instagram @peakaviationsolutions
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