Introduction
On February 5, 2023, at approximately 8:56 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, a Bombardier Learjet 60 with United States registration N357WP was involved in an accident during landing at North Eleuthera International Airport (MYEH), Eleuthera, Bahamas. The aircraft was operated by Hera Flight LLC under US Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. The flight originated from Vero Beach Regional Airport (KVRB), Florida, departing shortly before 8:00 a.m. The flight was conducted under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR).
Sequence of Events
During the flight, the captain served as Pilot Monitoring and the first officer as Pilot Flying. At approximately 8:43 a.m., while at 8,200 feet and in contact with Miami Center Air Traffic Control, the captain requested a lower altitude due to weather. Miami Center directed the flight to contact Nassau Approach on frequency 121.0. After contacting Nassau Approach, clearance was given to descend and maintain 2,000 feet.
At 8:49 a.m., the cockpit voice recorder captured a discussion about the LNAV/VNAV approach being "not authorized." The captain instructed the first officer to proceed with the approach despite the notation.
Less than two minutes before touchdown, the IFR flight plan was cancelled with Nassau Approach, and the flight crew conducted the pre-landing checklist. During the checklist, the captain called out landing gear down and three green lights, which the first officer confirmed.
As the captain called out 200 feet above ground level, the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) issued a "SINKRATE, SINKRATE" alert. The captain then stated "ref minus ten, ADD POWER! ADD POWER! ADD POWER!" The first officer responded "yeah I got it, I got it." This was followed by the sound of a loud crash as the aircraft impacted the runway, then a second crash as it became airborne momentarily before a second forceful impact.
The captain then stated "my plane" and assumed control. The first officer responded "your plane, go for it." The captain maintained directional control and taxied the aircraft to the ramp area.
Aircraft Information
The Learjet 60 is a medium-size business jet manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace. The accident aircraft, serial number 300, was manufactured in 2006 and received airworthiness certification on October 16, 2017. It was equipped with Pratt & Whitney Canada PW305A turbofan engines and was registered to Avventura Holdings LLC.
The aircraft was fitted with a Flight Data Recorder (model FA2100) and a solid state Cockpit Voice Recorder, both of which were retrieved and sent to Applied Informatics and Research Inc. in Ottawa, Canada for analysis. The aircraft also had a Honeywell Mark V Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System.
Aftermath
No injuries to the flight crew were reported. An assessment revealed damage to the left main landing gear axle, left landing gear aft trunnion support, left wing trailing edge adjacent to the aft trunnion support, and the left and right ventral fins.