What happened
On July 2, 2004, an Air Trek, Inc. Westwind 1124 corporate jet, registration N280AT, crashed during the takeoff phase at Tocumen International Airport in Panama. The aircraft was operating as a commercial air ambulance on an international route that had originated in Quito, Ecuador, with a planned subsequent stop at Dulles International Airport before reaching Milan, Italy.
Following a scheduled refueling stop in Panama, the crew requested a specific fuel load consisting of 500 gallons via a pressure point and 100 gallons via a gravity filler port. After completing the refueling process, the aircraft taxied to runway 03L. During the initial takeoff roll, an air traffic controller observed the aircraft pitch up vertically, followed by a nose drop and lateral wing rocking. The aircraft then veered to the right and descended.
The impact sequence began on taxiway Hotel, where the aircraft struck the ground. The force of the impact caused the right engine and right wing to separate from the fuselage. The aircraft continued its trajectory across a grass field, where the main fuselage, left wing, and left engine struck an airport worker and a concrete wall. The wreckage eventually came to rest inverted inside a building. The accident resulted in six fatalities among the aircraft occupants and one fatality on the ground.
Findings
Investigation of the wreckage path and ground scars indicated that the aircraft's right wing tip tank struck the taxiway surface while the plane was in a nose-high attitude and banked 90 degrees. The debris field and structural failure, including the separation of the vertical stabilizer, were consistent with a loss of control during the takeoff roll.