Accident Overview
On a night flight in instrument meteorological conditions, a Learjet 35A operated by a commercial operator was on a positioning flight to Kansas City International Airport (MCI) with a filed alternate of Lincoln Airport (LNK). The flight diverted to Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (MKC) after MCI closed due to a McDonnell Douglas MD83 sliding off a taxiway on contaminated surfaces. While landing on runway 19 (7,002 feet by 150 feet, grooved asphalt) at MKC, the Learjet overran the departure end, impacting airport property and terrain. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Flight and Operational Details
The Learjet 35A was operated with inoperative thrust reversers as per its minimum equipment list. The flightcrew had calculated a landing distance of 5,400 feet. The flight planned to pick up passengers at MCI for an on-demand charter but diverted to MKC following MCI's closure. MKC held a limited airport certificate without a snow removal plan, while LNK was a certificated airport with a snow removal plan and runway 17R (12,901 feet by 200 feet, grooved asphalt and concrete).
Weather and Runway Conditions
At the time of the accident, night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. Approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes before the accident, runway 19 Tapley values were recorded as 21-22-22 with 1/2 inch of wet snow. About 17 minutes before the accident, MKC began snow removal operations. Around 7 minutes before the accident, the MKC air traffic control tower (TWR) instructed snow removal vehicles to clear the runway for inbound traffic. TWR was advised by airport personnel that runway 19 was plowed with 1/4 inch of snow; no friction values were taken or reported.
Braking Action Reports
While inbound, the Learjet flightcrew requested braking action reports. The first aircraft to land was a Cessna 210 Centurion, whose pilot reported braking action as "moderate" to TWR. TWR transmitted this as "fair" in response to the Learjet's query. The Cessna pilot did not use brakes during landing and did not inform TWR of this. The Aeronautical Information Manual states no correlation between MU values and descriptive braking terms. The Airport Winter Safety and Operations advisory circular notes that pilot braking action reports vary significantly and that friction surveys are reliable only for snow depth ≤1 inch or wet snow/slush ≤1/8 inch.
Cockpit Voice Recorder
Two channels of the cockpit voice recorder, normally containing audio panel information for the pilot and copilot, were blank.
Probable Cause
The probable cause is the contaminated runway conditions during landing. Contributing factors were the operation of the airplane without thrust reversers, the flightcrew not performing the flight to the planned alternate airport, and insufficient runway information. Additional factors were the airport property and terrain that the airplane impacted.