Accident
A Learjet crashed while landing on runway 09 at Detroit-Metropolitan-Wayne County Airport. The aircraft was returning executives of Massey-Ferguson, Inc., from a meeting at the company's headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa. The executives were being transported to South Bend, Indiana, Detroit, Michigan, and Toronto, Canada. During descent, the Learjet encountered light to moderate icing conditions, which were occasionally severe. Shortly before landing, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 had been cleared for takeoff. Witnesses observed the Learjet cross the runway threshold in a normal landing attitude. Seconds later, the airplane rolled violently. It entered a steep right bank, and its wing tip tank struck the runway 2,440 feet from the threshold. The impact caused the aircraft to burst into flames. The two pilots and four passengers were killed.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the accident. The Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was the pilot's loss of control.
Probable Cause
According to the official findings, the loss of control may have been caused by an accumulation of wing ice, by a delayed application of engine thrust caused by wake turbulence from the departing DC-9, by a premature stall during an attempted go-around, or by any combination of these factors.