Boeing 767 safety record
The 767's accident rate is about a quarter of the average for jets, over more than forty years.
An accident rate well below the average for jets
Boeing's annual accident summary measures this as fatal hull losses per million departures — how many times in a million flights an aircraft of the type was destroyed in an accident that killed someone. Across the worldwide jet fleet Boeing tracks, since 1959, the figure is 0.52. The 767 stands at 0.13, about a quarter of that. Boeing's count covers accidents, not hijackings, so the aircraft of 11 September 2001 are not in it.
Its deadliest accident, Lauda Air 004 in 1991, was caused by an engine's thrust reverser deploying in flight; the reverser design was changed across the fleet as a result. Boeing's figures run to the end of 2025; on 6 September 2026 a 767 cargo aircraft overran the runway at Miami, and five people on the ground were killed. That investigation is under way.
The 767 in numbers
The wings are meant to bend
In bumpy air you can see a 767's wingtips move. That's the wing flexing to absorb the gust rather than passing all of it into the cabin, and it's designed to bend far further than anything the weather can ask of it.
A mid-sized widebody has less mass than a 777 or an A350, so it responds to a gust a little more than they do, and a good deal less than a regional jet. Either way the aircraft is built to take far more than any turbulence it will meet.
Seven across in economy
The 767's economy cabin is laid out two, three, two. That means only one middle seat in each row, where most widebodies have two or three — so if you're travelling as a pair, the two seats by the window are yours alone.
The drawing fits those seven seats and two aisles into the cabin's published width.
How big it really is
A 767 is a widebody with two aisles, but a slim one: noticeably narrower than a 787 or an A330, and much bigger than the single-aisle jets on short trips.
Tap any other airliner to lay it over the 767 at exactly the same scale.
The 767 in white, the A320 outlined in gold. Same scale, same metre.
Boeing 767 questions
How safe is the 767?
The 767's accident rate is about a quarter of the average for jets, over more than forty years. Every figure on this page is sourced — the list is at the bottom.
Is the Boeing 767 still flying?
Yes. Many passenger airlines have been replacing it with newer widebodies, but it remains in passenger service in many fleets and is widely used as a freighter. The type you board has been maintained on the same regulated programme as any newer aircraft.
What are the best seats on a 767?
The 2-3-2 layout means window-side pairs, which suit couples, and only one middle seat per row.
Is the 767 comfortable in turbulence?
It's a mid-sized, heavy aircraft, so it rides bumpy air more steadily than a smaller jet, though it moves a little more than the largest widebodies. Like every airliner, it's built to take far more than any turbulence it will meet.
Every other airliner
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page is from the manufacturer, the certifying authority or the published accident record.
Flying on a 767 soon?
FlyBud shows the exact aircraft on your flight and the turbulence forecast for your route.