History of Flight
On May 12, 2015, about 1144 eastern daylight time, a Gates Lear Jet 35, registration N80PG, operated by Phoenix Air Group Inc., was substantially damaged during landing rollout at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF), Newport News, Virginia. The airline transport certificated pilot and copilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the public use flight contracted by the United States Navy, which departed PHF around 1115.
Before departure, the flight crew preflighted the airplane and found everything normal, including the nose gear strut and oleo extensions. The copilot was flying from the left seat, and the pilot from the right seat. They taxied to runway 25 and took off about 1115 without incident.
During the after-takeoff checklist, upon moving the landing gear selector handle to the up position, the crew felt and heard a loud "clank" from the nose of the airplane and observed the red unsafe nose gear light illuminate. Recycling the landing gear handle produced the same result. The crew elected to return to PHF, jettisoned fuel to reduce landing weight, and requested a low approach to runway 20 to visually inspect the nosewheel. After receiving confirmation that the nose gear appeared straight, they entered a left downwind for runway 25.
On landing, the main wheels touched down first, and the nose wheel was held off as long as possible. Once the nose wheel touched down and weight was on the nose landing gear, the airplane turned sharply left, 30° to 40°. Both crew members applied right rudder without effect. The airplane then partially traveled off the left side of the runway pavement, struck a concrete runway edge-light base with its left main landing gear, turned about 180° from its original direction, and came to rest on the left side of the runway about 1,500 feet from the end. The copilot egressed through the emergency exit window, and the pilot followed after completing emergency procedures.
Personnel Information
Both pilots held airline transport pilot certificates and type ratings for the Learjet. The pilot had 4,800 total flight hours, with 2,300 in the accident make and model. The copilot had 22,542 total hours, with 1,867 in the accident make and model. Both held first-class medical certificates issued in 2014.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a 1976 Learjet 35, a pressurized, twin-turbofan, low-wing monoplane with retractable tricycle landing gear. It was powered by two Garrett TFE 731-2-2B engines. The aircraft had been modified with wing hardpoints for external pods. Its restricted category special airworthiness certificate was issued April 1, 1996. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated about 11,850.5 total flight hours.
Meteorological Information
At 1154, about 10 minutes after the accident, recorded weather at PHF included wind 250° at 11 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 31°C, dew point 21°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.02 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination revealed substantial damage: the left main landing gear shock strut separated, the forward trunnion was torn from its mounting, and the left main gear actuator tore through the wing structure after striking the concrete light base. The right main landing gear collapsed outward. The fuselage and wing leading edges were damaged, and a mission pod under the left wing was also damaged. Both wing fuel tanks were punctured, resulting in a fuel spill of about 600 gallons.
The nose landing gear assembly was intact, with the tire inflated and undamaged. The nose gear actuator was extended and locked, and a green down-and-locked indication was observed when power was applied. However, the oleo strut was fully compressed, and black scuff marks on the wheel well walls indicated the nose wheel tire was not centered during retraction.
In the cockpit, the circuit breaker for the terrain avoidance warning system (TAWS) was found out and not collared, and the landing gear warning/mute test switch had a rubber band looped around it, keeping the switch in the mute position and deactivating the landing gear warning horn. The cabin contained unsecured equipment that had shifted forward during the accident.
Additional Findings
During routine maintenance on another Learjet 36A in April 2016, Phoenix Air Group identified a similar steering anomaly: a nose wheel strut appeared underserviced, and when jacked with power on, the nose gear turned left. Maintenance personnel found the steering servo contaminated with hydraulic fluid from an internal strut leak. Review of manufacturer's guidance revealed no scheduled overhaul requirement for the steering servo. Corrective actions included Phoenix Air Group emphasizing proper strut servicing and prohibiting deactivation of safety systems, and Bombardier introducing a 2,400-hour or 2-year overhaul inspection for the steering servo and updating parts to prevent strut seal issues.