The aerospace industry has continued to become safer throughout the years, and 2023 was a year in which no large turbofan-powered aircraft were involved in any major fatal accidents. As a result, 2023 will go down in history as the safest in the history of commercial aviation.

There have been a few smaller incidents, including two fatal incidents involving non-jet-powered airliners. Furthermore, there were several fatal crashes involving jet-powered private aircraft, as well as many that saw those involved in general aviation lose their lives.

2023 also saw a record-low fatality rate when it came to major air accidents, according to to70. Of over 50 safety emergencies that arose onboard commercial aircraft, only two led to loss-of-life incidents, a fatality rate that significantly improves upon six fatal crashes out of 33 such situations in 2022.

Only one major incident

According to the Aviation Safety Network's database, only one incident resulted in more than 15 fatalities. Yeti Airlines Flight 691 was operating a scheduled service from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport (KTH) and Pokhara International Airport (PKR), where it crashed just two kilometers northwest.

The aircraft in question was an ATR 72-500 turboprop with 68 passengers and four crew onboard. While on final approach, the plane encountered a mechanical issue with its two engines that led it to enter a stall.

The crew was unable to recover, and sadly, all 72 people on board lost their lives. A subsequent investigation found that the crew inappropriately changed engine condition lever positions, which led to the lack of thrust and, ultimately, the deadly stall.

A concerning response

On 23 August 2023, an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet fatally crashed in Russia's Tver region, resulting in the death of all ten individuals onboard. Notably, among the victims were three significant figures within the Wagner Group, a state-funded Russian private military organization.

The crash led to much international speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin may have used the incident to eliminate his rivals. Regardless of this matter, Russian authorities broke decades of international air safety precedent by failing to conduct a proper investigation.

Under international law, according to to70, authorities must include the manufacturer and the country of the manufacturer's aviation safety agency when a fatal incident occurs. However, Russian authorities failed to involve Embraer, a Brazilian manufacturer, or Brazilian aerospace safety regulators in the investigation, resulting in a troublesome precedent being set.

Some other incidents

A few smaller flight safety incidents did occur throughout the year. September saw 14 people die in a Brazilian crash involving an Embraer aircraft, a flight that was operated by Manaus Aerotaxi at Barcelos Airport (BAZ). Another fatal incident occurred at Rio Branco–Plácido de Castro International Airport (RBR), a flight that saw 12 passengers lose their lives onboard a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan.

Not all deadly accidents involved aircraft crashes in 2023. Several fatal incidents occurred on the apron and saw airline employees ingested into turbofan engines. A notable event of this taking place happened at San Antonio International Airport (SAT) back on 24 June 2023 and saw a ramp worker tragically lose their life.