History of Flight
On July 26, 2021, about 1318 Pacific daylight time, a Bombardier Inc. Challenger 605, N605TR, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Truckee-Tahoe Airport (TRK) in Truckee, California. The captain, first officer, and four passengers sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Part 91 personal flight.
The nonrevenue flight departed Coeur d'Alene Airport in Idaho about 1145 under instrument flight rules. After being cleared to 37,000 ft mean sea level, the crew began the approach briefing for the RNAV (GPS) approach for runway 11 at TRK. At 1248, air traffic control issued descent instructions. The first officer received weather observations that included an advisory of reduced visibility due to heavy smoke but did not relay that advisory to the captain.
At 1255, the flight crew requested direct clearance to waypoint ALANT for the runway 11 approach, but about 1258, ATC informed them they could expect the RNAV (GPS) runway 20 approach. The captain considered runway 20 too short, noting a minimum landing distance of 4,600 ft versus a runway length of 4,654 ft. The crew later accepted the runway 20 approach but intended to circle to land on runway 11. The descent checklist required a brief for the new approach, but the crew did not perform it.
During the approach, the airplane exceeded target speeds, and the crew discussed slowing down. The stick shaker and stick pusher activated during a turn, and the airplane entered a rapid roll and impacted terrain, resulting in a postcrash fire.
Personnel Information
The captain, acting as pilot flying and pilot in command, had signed an employment contract with the operator but was not yet an employee. He completed proficiency training in a Challenger 605 simulator 10 days before the accident. His checkride included a nonprecision approach, stall prevention, and go-around, but instructor comments noted he rushed checklists and needed to set up approaches without prompts.
The first officer, serving as pilot monitoring and second-in-command, was a contract pilot. He completed Challenger 604 recurrent training in June 2021, which included crew resource management. He did not receive training on the operator's general operations manual.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was equipped with a triple flight management system. The year before the accident, flight management computers were serviced, and the basic operating weight (BOW) defaulted to 24,000 lbs after battery replacement, as confirmed by the manufacturer. The BOW specific to the airplane was not entered.
The airplane had flight spoilers for lift dumping and speed control. An amber caution message appeared under certain conditions, such as gear extended and low altitude.
The stall protection system (SPS) included stick shakers and a stick pusher to provide certifiable stall characteristics. The accident airplane's angle-of-attack vanes showed a slight split, but Bombardier concluded the pusher fired before any natural stall.
Engine data showed both engines operated normally during the descent and approach, with increasing thrust in the final seconds coincident with the stick shaker and pusher activations.
Meteorological Information
Weather observations at TRK at 1245 indicated visibility of 4 statute miles, a broken ceiling at 2,300 ft agl, variable visibility between 3.5 and 5 miles from smoke, and a density altitude of 8,997 ft. Satellite imagery showed smoke near the surface and developing thunderstorms. An AIRMET advisory was in effect for instrument flight rules conditions due to smoke.
The flight plan originally listed two passengers, but two additional passengers were added last minute; the plan was not updated.