The HondaJet was conceived in 1997. After years of research and development, the maiden flight was on December 3, 2003. The Honda Aircraft Company was established in 2006. By the end of 2021 over 200 aircraft had been delivered. However, HondaJet safety concerns mount over recent runway incidents.
The ASN (Aviation Safety Network) database lists 25 HondaJet incidents and accidents since June 2015. With 10 runway incidents in just the past 18 months there may be a cause for concern. Although there were no fatalities, some aircraft were severely damaged.
Putting this in perspective, there were only 17 new HondaJets delivered in 2022. The number of new aircraft deliveries has been declining. With a high of 43 in 2017, the numbers have steadily declined annually since.
To add insult to injury, Jet It, the 12th largest U.S. private jet operator, ceased operations stranding many fractional HondaJet owners. Jet It blamed its failure on safety concerns with the HondaJet. The situation was so dire that the HondaJet Aircraft Company allowed the stranded owners to park their aircraft at its facility.
Additionally, the HondaJet Owners & Pilots Association (HJOPA) has called for a “voluntary safety standdown”. A YouTube video has been posted https://youtu.be/nTWHmTqwD-Y
Also, the HondaJet is not cheap to own at about $5M when compared to a Hawker 400XP or Citation CJ2 at under $3M. The Citation CJ2 operates for about $1,400 per hour compared to the HondaJet at about $2,200.
So, as the investigations continue into some of the most recent incidents, some preliminary findings appear to point more to pilot error.
In the interim the HJOPA has several suggestions to pilots including, “If you’re on short final and you’re too fast, go around. Get comfortable using max braking and full control authority as you’re rolling out.”
HondaJet Safety Concerns Mount Over Recent Runway Incidents
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