N721EC

On February 29, 2020, a Learjet 35 (N721EC) was involved in an incident near Altoona, PA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot flying's improper lateral bank control during a go-around in gusting wind conditions, which resulted in the left-wing tip tank striking the runway.

The flight crew reported that after an instrument landing system approach, during the landing flare the airplane encountered a strong wind gust and a go-around was initiated. During the go-around, the left tip tank struck the runway causing substantial damage to the left wing. The flight crew diverted to another airport where the weather conditions were more favorable, and upon landing, the damage to the left wing was discovered.About the time of the accident, the airport weather observation included wind from a heading of 300° at 15 knots, gusting to 20 knots. The calculated crosswind component was 18 knots. According to the airplane flight manual, the maximum demonstrated crosswind component was 24.7 knots.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA20CA120. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N721EC.