Does an Aircraft Accident Really Hurt Its Value?

When it comes time to sell your airplane, one of the first questions buyers ask is: Has it ever been in an accident?‍

It’s a fair question, but how much does that really matter?

A new data study sheds light on exactly how accident history impacts general aviation (GA) aircraft prices, and the results might surprise you.

The Study in a Nutshell

We analyzed over 37,000 aircraft sales, focusing on piston and light aircraft in the $10,000–$1,000,000 range. We compared prices between “clean” aircraft and those with 1–4 recorded accidents, while controlling for important factors like:

• Aircraft type and engine setup
• Year of manufacture
• Total number of engines

The goal: to find out whether more accidents equal lower prices, and if that relationship is consistent or if it tapers off.

What the Raw Numbers Say

At first glance, the data looks dramatic:

It looks like each accident keeps driving prices down, but hold on. These are raw averages, and they don’t account for the fact that accident-prone aircraft tend to be older and less desirable to begin with.

What Happens After Adjusting for Age and Type

Once the analysis controlled for aircraft characteristics, the story changed completely:

• 1 accident: -6.2% value reduction (statistically significant)
• 2+ accidents: No meaningful additional impact

In other words, the market only punishes the first accident. After that, the effect levels off, a second or third accident doesn’t make a noticeable difference in resale price.

Age Matters More Than Accident Count

The study also found that the impact of an accident fades as the aircraft gets older.

• A 10-year-old aircraft with an accident loses about 20% of its value.
• A 30-year-old aircraft loses 12%.
• By 50 years old, the penalty drops to just 3.5%.

That means buyers are much more forgiving about accident history on older airframes. A gear-up landing in 1985 doesn’t mean much today, but the same event on a 2015 model might.

What This Means for Buyers and Sellers

• If you’re selling: A clean history still helps, especially on newer aircraft. But don’t panic if your airplane’s had a minor mishap. The real-world hit is probably smaller than you think.
• If you’re buying: Focus on quality of repair and recency of the incident, not just the accident count.
• For appraisers and brokers: The best pricing models treat accident history as a simple yes/no factor, adjusted for age not as a linear penalty per incident.

The Bottom Line

The aircraft resale market turns out to be surprisingly rational.

Buyers don’t overreact to multiple accidents they price in the first one, then move on. And since only about 18% of aircraft in the sample had any accident history at all (and just 2% had three or more), the data also hints that truly damaged aircraft often never make it back to the resale market anyway.

For pilots and owners, that’s good news: the market may be tough, but it’s fair; and one accident doesn’t have to ground your aircraft’s value.

Curious to see how your aircraft stacks up? Get started by running a Windsock aircraft valuation report in minutes.