Damage or failure that adversely affects an aircraft’s structural strength, performance or flight characteristics and would normally require major repair.
What it is
The concept is decisive because, when nobody is hurt, it marks the line between an incident and an accident. ICAO builds it into its definition of an accident, and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) uses the explicit label ‘substantial damage’: damage that compromises structural strength, performance or flight characteristics and would normally require major repair or replacement of the affected component.
Both definitions exclude damage that may look dramatic but does not threaten the aircraft’s integrity: failure of a single engine, bent fairings or cowlings, small dents or punctures in the skin, and damage to tyres, brakes, wheels or wingtips. ICAO also excludes minor damage from hail and bird strikes, including holes in the radome.
For example, a tail strike on take-off that distorts the frames of the rear fuselage and needs structural repair is substantial damage, so the event is an accident even if the aircraft lands normally. A tyre that bursts on landing and scuffs a fairing is not.
Related terms
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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Substantial damage. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/substantial-damage
MLA
“Substantial damage.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/substantial-damage. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Substantial damage.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/substantial-damage.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Substantial damage. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/substantial-damage (Accessed: 18 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_substantial_damage,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Substantial damage}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-09},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/substantial-damage},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/substantial-damage}},
urldate = {2026-10-18},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/substantial-damage |title=Substantial damage |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-18 |language=en}}