Accident Details
On October 10, 2000, at 1452 central daylight time, a Canadair Challenger CL-600-2B16 (CL604), registered C-FTBZ and operated by Bombardier Incorporated, was destroyed when it impacted terrain and caught fire during the initial climb from runway 19R at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport (ICT), Wichita, Kansas. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as an experimental test flight.
Injuries and Damage
The pilot and flight test engineer were killed. The copilot sustained serious injuries and died 36 days later. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable Cause
The probable cause, as determined by the investigation, was the pilot’s excessive takeoff rotation during an aft center of gravity (c.g.) takeoff, combined with a rearward migration of fuel during acceleration and takeoff, leading to a shift in the airplane’s aft c.g. beyond the limit. This caused the aircraft to stall at an altitude too low for recovery. Contributing factors included Bombardier’s inadequate flight planning procedures for the Challenger flight test program and the lack of direct, on-site operational oversight by Transport Canada and the Federal Aviation Administration.