Bombardier private jet model has a solid safety record despite Iran crash
The Bombardier Challenger 600 series of business jets has been involved in only a handful of accidents since production began in the late 1970s.
Until this week, the worst crash was in 2000, when three crew died after their aircraft hit the ground during a test flight.
In January last year, another Bombardier 604, the same model as that in the Iran crash was forced to make an emergency landing at Muscat Airport after plunging 9,000 feet when it was caught in the wake of an Emirates Airbus 380 on its way to Sydney.
The private jet, on a flight from the Maldives to Abu Dhabi’s Al Bateen Executive Airport, suffered severe damage to its airframe and was written off.
Some of the nine passengers were treated in hospital, including one with serious injuries.
More than 1,000 of the jets have been produced, for commercial and military service, especially search and rescue.
Air forces operating the Challenger 600 include China, the US, Australia and South Korea.
The jet can carry up to 11 passengers, with a crew of two. It has a range of 7,400 kilometres and a top speed of 908kph.
The aircraft lost over Iran was delivered by Bombardier in 2001, the website planelogger.com says. It was bought by its Turkish owners in 2012.