Pilot Debrief

LEARJET 45XR near Telluride, CO — 2009-01-03

Final reportCEN09LA116
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Date
2009-01-03
Location
Telluride, CO, USA
Airport
KTEX
Aircraft
LEARJET 45XR
Registration
N279AJ
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The failure of both pilots to positively identify the runway prior to landing.

NTSB narrative

The airplane and two-person crew departed on a positioning flight. The pilot-in-command was not flying the airplane and sat in the right seat. The second-in-command was the pilot flying and sat in the left seat. The accident occurred on the second attempt to land at the destination airport on a snow-covered runway. While descending for the airport, the pilot not flying the airplane called the runway in sight. After assessing that they were too high the pilot not flying convinced the pilot flying to circle the airplane down to land on the runway. Circling at speeds greater than allowed by the approach categories, the crew performed a 360-degree turn to align themselves with the runway. The pilot flying did not have the runway in sight, and was verbally assisted by the pilot not flying. Both pilots stated that they were aligned with the center of the runway. During the flare to touchdown the pilot flying reported an unexpected gust of wind from the left requiring a correction. The airplane touched down about 20 feet off and to the right of the runway edge. Substantial damage was sustained to the airplane's wing and fuselage.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Crew could have opted to divert to alternate airport instead of attempting landing.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • CVR
  • FDR / data
  • Photos
  • 13 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents13

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