Accident Overview
On April 5, 2000, a training flight for a Learjet type rating check ride retake ended in an accident during approach to an airport. The pilot had canceled the IFR flight plan after crossing the VOR and reported the airport in sight. The last radio contact with Air Traffic Control occurred at 0935:16. The crew did not report any problems before or during the flight. The VOR was located 4 nautical miles from the airport.
Witness Observations
Witnesses saw the airplane enter a right traffic pattern at a low altitude for landing on runway 36. While turning from base leg to final, less than a half-mile from the approach end of the runway, the airplane pitched up nose-high, and the right wing dropped. The airplane then struck trees west of the runway, struck wires, caught fire, and impacted on a hard surface road.
Flight Background
The flight was a training mission for the left-seat pilot to retake a Learjet type rating check ride he had failed on March 24, 2000. During that failed check ride, while performing an ILS approach with a simulated engine failure and transitioning from instruments to VFR, he allowed the airspeed to decrease below Vref. According to the company's training manual, a crewmember who fails qualification requirements due to lack of flight proficiency must be returned to training status, and after retraining, an instructor recommendation is required for reaccomplishing the unsatisfactory requirements.
On the accident flight, a company check airman occupied the right seat. The check ride was scheduled for 0800, but the flight arrived an hour and a half late. Neither the left-seat pilot's nor the company's flight records indicated any training or other flights between the failed check ride on March 24 and the accident flight on April 5. This flight was the first retraining opportunity and the only chance for the pilot to demonstrate the phase of flight he had failed previously.
Aircraft Examination
Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no discrepancies that could have contributed to the accident.