Recent Bombardier jet incidents raise questions about safety records

United Express flight UA4427 (February 12, 2025): A CRJ-550 operated by GoJet (N549GJ) suffered a runway excursion after landing on runway 11 in snowy conditions at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL). The plane, carrying 27 passengers and crew, came to a rest in a grassy area. There were no injuries reported.

Mid-Air Collision Involving American Eagle Flight 5342 (January 29, 2025): An American Eagle Bombardier CRJ701ER, operating as Flight 5342, collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C. Tragically, all 67 individuals aboard both aircraft perished. This marked the first fatal accident involving the Bombardier CRJ700 series.

Should We Be Worried About This Aircraft Type?

The short answer is no. The CRJ family (CRJ-100, CRJ-200, CRJ-700, CRJ-900, CRJ-1000) has been in service since the early 1990s and has an exceptional safety record when considering its incident rate compared to other regional jets and the challenging weather conditions in which they often operate.

Notable CRJ Accidents Involving Fatalities:

Mid-Air Collision (CRJ-700) – January 29, 2025

Location: Potomac River near Washington, D.C., USA

Cause: Collision with a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

Fatalities: All 67 onboard both aircraft.

Comair Flight5191(CRJ -100)– August27 ,2006

Location : Lexington ,Kentucky ,USA

Cause : Pilot error– attempted takeoff from the wrong ,too -short runway .

Fatalities :49 of50 onboard(only the first officer survived )

China Eastern Airlines Flight5210(CRJ -200)– November21 ,2004

Location : Baotou ,China

Cause : Severe icing caused loss of control during takeoff .

Fatalities :53 onboard +2 on ground

Bombardier Test Flight(CRJ -100)– July26 ,1993

Location : Wichita Kansas USA

Cause Pilot-induced oscillation during stall testing Fatalities All3 crew members

Northwest AirlinkFlight5719(CRJ -200)-December11993Location Hibbing Minnesota USA Cause Pilot error controlled flight into terrain on approach Fatalities18 onboard

What about safety rating for big US Carriers American Airlines Delta and United are all rated77 for safety on AirlineRatings website In our Worlds Safest Airlines for2025 report these airlines ranked13th21st and23rd respectively At this stage incidents do not appear be fault pilots or airlines so their ratings remain unchanged despite recent events However if further investigations determine otherwise their ratings will be adjusted accordingly