Aircraft types · Regional turboprop

De Havilland Canada Dash 8 / Q400

The Dash 8 is a family of twin-turboprop regional airliners; the largest version is the Q400 (Dash 8-400).

Representative photo of a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 / Q400
Photo: Alf van Beem, CC0
On the US register86
Valid registrations86
Median age28 years
NTSB records since 198668

How old is the US fleet?

Age of US-registered De Havilland Canada Dash 8 / Q400 aircraft, in years04813170–4: 0 aircraft0–45–9: 0 aircraft5–910–14: 0 aircraft10–1415–19: 16 aircraft15–1920–24: 5 aircraft20–2425–29: 17 aircraft25–2930–34: 11 aircraft30–3435–39: 2 aircraft35–3940–44: 1 aircraft40–44
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Age (years)Aircraft
0–40
5–90
10–140
15–1916
20–245
25–2917
30–3411
35–392
40–441

Ages from the year of manufacture in the FAA registry. Age alone says little about safety: aircraft are maintained on FAA-approved programs, and older airplanes flown by US airlines must also pass extra FAA aging-airplane inspections and records reviews at set intervals (14 CFR 121.1105).

Most common variants

DHC-8-202
31
DHC-8-402
26
DHC-8-315
17
DHC-8-201
4
DHC-8-106
4
DHC-8-103
2
DHC-8-300
1
DHC-8-102
1

Public NTSB records mentioning this type

The NTSB database lists 68 records involving a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 / Q400 since 1986: 32 classified as accidents and 36 as incidents.

Records per year (last 10 years)

NTSB records per year involving the De Havilland Canada Dash 8 / Q40001223’16: 2 records’16’17: 3 records’17’18: 2 records’18’19: 3 records’19’23: 1 records’23’24: 2 records’24’26: 1 records’26
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YearNTSB records
20162
20173
20182
20193
20231
20242
20261
Please read this before comparing numbers. These are raw counts of NTSB records, not rates. Types that are more numerous, fly more hours, or are used for training naturally appear more often. Counts include minor events and events with no injuries, and can't be used to compare the safety of one type with another. SafelyAboard does not rate or score aircraft. Records also include some events outside the US that the NTSB took part in.

De Havilland Canada Dash 8 / Q400: common questions

How many De Havilland Canada Dash 8 / Q400 aircraft are registered in the US?

The FAA registry lists 86 aircraft matching the De Havilland Canada Dash 8 / Q400, of which 86 have a valid registration. That includes aircraft registered to airlines, lessors and other owners.

How old is the typical De Havilland Canada Dash 8 / Q400 in the US?

The median age, from the year of manufacture in the FAA registry, is about 28 years. Age alone says little about safety: aircraft are maintained on FAA-approved programs, and older airplanes flown by US airlines must also pass extra FAA aging-airplane inspections and records reviews at set intervals (14 CFR 121.1105).

How can I tell if my flight is on a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 / Q400?

Your airline's app or booking usually shows the aircraft type. At the gate, you can read the tail number (on US aircraft it starts with N) and look it up on SafelyAboard. Airlines can swap aircraft, so check again on the day.

Is the De Havilland Canada Dash 8 / Q400 safe?

SafelyAboard doesn't rate or compare aircraft types. The NTSB record counts on this page depend heavily on how many aircraft exist and how much they fly, so they can't be used to compare safety. For the bigger picture, see our explainer on how safe flying is overall.

Flying on a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 / Q400 soon? Get a calm My Flight briefing, read what's normal on a flight, or see how safe flying is overall.

Data: FAA Releasable Aircraft Database (file dated 2026-10-16) and NTSB aviation accident database, refreshed 2026-10-17 20:47 UTC. Counts match FAA/NTSB make and model text and may include closely related variants.