N999LJ

Destroyed
Fatal

Learjet LR60

Accident Details

Date
Saturday, September 20, 2008
NTSB Number
DCA08MA098
Location
Columbia, SC
Event ID
20081003X16308
Coordinates
33.999923, -81.029327
Aircraft Damage
Destroyed
Highest Injury
Fatal
Fatalities
4
Serious Injuries
2
Minor Injuries
0
Uninjured
0
Total Aboard
6

Probable Cause and Findings

The operator’s inadequate maintenance of the airplane’s tires, which resulted in multiple tire failures during takeoff roll due to severe underinflation, and the captain’s execution of a rejected takeoff (RTO) after V1, which was inconsistent with her training and standard operating procedures. Contributing to the accident were (1) deficiencies in Learjet’s design of and the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) certification of the Learjet Model 60’s thrust reverser system, which permitted the failure of critical systems in the wheel well area to result in uncommanded forward thrust that increased the severity of the accident; (2) the inadequacy of Learjet’s safety analysis and the FAA’s review of it, which failed to detect and correct the thrust reverser and wheel well design deficiencies after a 2001 uncommanded forward thrust accident; (3) inadequate industry training standards for flight crews in tire failure scenarios; and (4) the flight crew’s poor crew resource management (CRM).

Aircraft Information

Registration
N999LJ
Make
LEARJET
Engine Type
Turbo-jet
Year Built
1999
Model / ICAO
LR60LJ60
Aircraft Type
Fixed Wing Multi Engine
No. of Engines
2

Registered Owner (Historical)

Name
STEMME USA INC
Address
2404 EDMUND HWY
Status
Deregistered
City
WEST COLUMBIA
State / Zip Code
SC 29170-1930
Country
United States

Analysis

The NTSB’s full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-10/02.

On September 19, 2008, about 2353 eastern daylight time, a Bombardier Learjet Model 60, N999LJ, owned by Inter Travel and Services, Inc., and operated by Global Exec Aviation, overran runway 11 during a rejected takeoff at Columbia Metropolitan Airport, Columbia, South Carolina. The captain, the first officer, and two passengers were killed; two other passengers were seriously injured. The nonscheduled domestic passenger flight to Van Nuys, California, was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed.

Data Source

Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# DCA08MA098