What Lessons Can You Learn From The Emergency Landing Of Jennifer Lawrence's Private Jet?

Look both ways before you cross the street. It’s one of the first things your parents taught you and something every parent teaches their children. Jennifer Lawrence was fortunate that when her Hawker Beechcraft B400A flying from Louisville, Kentucky to Teterboro, New Jersey had to make an emergency landing in Buffalo, New York after an engine failure at 31,000 feet, she was on an airplane being flown by a highly respected operator.

According to Flightaware (below) and AMSTAT, the award-winning actress was aboard a 2007 Beechcraft Corp. Hawker 400XP tail number N460TM. The plane is operated by TMC Jets.

TMC is a participant of the FAA’s Safety Management System Pilot Project. Its pilots average of 8,000 flight hours and, according to its website, “Newly hired crewmembers must satisfy strict performance standards beginning with, initial indoctrination, full motion level “D” flight simulator training, and a comprehensive initial operating experience program with a qualified standards captain. Captains and first officers annually participate in FlightSafety International recurrent flight simulator training, company indoctrination, and captains must pass a check-ride in their assigned aircraft type every six months.”

TMC is also ARG/US Platinum which requires the private jet operator to have a Safety Management System, an Emergency Response Plan, and documented standards and records for all major aspects of flight and maintenance operations. It is Wyvern Wingman, which requires a two-to-three-day on-site audit reviewing flight and maintenance operations and the airline’s safety management system, post-audit aircraft and crew reviews, and daily verification throughout the life of the recommendation.

TMC is also one of only about 700 private jet operators worldwide to meet the standards of the International Standard for Business Aviation Operations (IS-BAO) which is based on global standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and a code of best practices designed to assist flight departments worldwide.

While flying privately is relatively safe – there were less than 400 deaths in 2015 – compared to taking a bath – over 5,000 deaths in the United States, pilot error has featured in a number of high-profile crashes, including a 2008 crash in Mexico City which killed a government minister. The pilots were found to have limited experience in the aircraft type and records about their training and certification were found incomplete.

Private Jet Card Comparisons recommends before choosing a jet card or private jet membership program as well as when chartering a plane to make sure you do some basic due diligence about the sourcing standards for both planes and pilots. Private Jet Card Comparisons’ 65-point list of variables for registered users compares standards for pilots and aircraft sourcing for over 100 programs.