15 May 2017: LEARJET 35A — Trans-Pacific Jets

15 May 2017: LEARJET 35A (N452DA) — Trans-Pacific Jets

2 fatalities • Teterboro, NJ, United States

Probable cause

The pilot-in-command's (PIC) attempt to salvage an unstabilized visual approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the PIC's decision to allow an unapproved second-in-command to act as pilot flying, the PIC's inadequate and incomplete preflight planning, and the flight crew's lack of an approach briefing. Also contributing to the accident were Trans-Pacific Jets' lack of safety programs that would have enabled the company to identify and correct patterns of poor performance and procedural noncompliance and the Federal Aviation Administration's ineffective Safety Assurance System procedures, which failed to identify these company oversight deficiencies.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

The NTSB's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/AccidentReports.aspx. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-19/02.

On May 15, 2017, about 1529 eastern daylight time, a Learjet 35A, N452DA, departed controlled flight while on a circling approach to runway 1 at Teterboro Airport (TEB), Teterboro, New Jersey, and impacted a commercial building and parking lot. The pilot-in-command and the second-in-command died; no one on the ground was injured. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. The airplane was registered to A&C Big Sky Aviation, LLC, and was operated by Trans-Pacific Air Charter, LLC, under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a positioning flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight departed from Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about 1504 and was destined for TEB.

Contributing factors

  • Capability exceeded
  • Pilot
  • Pilot
  • Flight crew
  • Operator
  • FAA/Regulator

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 350/20kt, vis 10sm

Related events

Same aircraft

  • 16 Jan 2023 — Learjet 35A (GFD)
  • 1 Dec 2022 — Learjet 35A (REVA, Inc.)
  • 27 Dec 2021 — Learjet 35A (Aeromedevac Air Ambulance)
  • 21 Dec 2021 — LEARJET 35A (—)
  • 8 Oct 2021 — Learjet 35A (private)

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