Pilots browsing through the light turboprops as a natural step up from a piston twin might be drawn to the Mitsubishi MU-2s by the lure of dazzling speed, unbeatable short-field work and a less-than-shocking purchase price. However, the airplane has a reputation as being hot and dangerous. Most owners attribute this to bad press, but the press had to come from somewhere: in this case, it was the accident rate, which was very high in the early years-so high that the FAA considered requiring a type rating for the MU-2. That never came to pass, however.
So, is the MU-2 unsafe? Owners universally say no, but…. The but is the need for initial and recurrent training. One respondent said that hes already been to Flight Safety twice this year, and is planning to go again. Thats higher than average, but all of the owners who replied to our request for feedback stressed the need for good training.