1996 New Hampshire Learjet crash
Learjet 35A | |
| Operator | Aircraft Charter Group, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Registration | N388LS |
| Flight origin | Bridgeport, Connecticut |
| Destination | Lebanon, New Hampshire |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On Christmas Eve 1996, a
emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) be installed in U.S.-registered business jets.[2]
Crash information
The aircraft involved,
localizer, when they were actually several miles off course. They presumed ground equipment failure, and the pilot told the tower that he was executing a missed approach. The aircraft's last radar contact was as it proceeded outbound, 7 nautical miles (13 km) northeast of the VOR, at 4,800 ft (1,500 m).[3]
As the business jet neared the inbound course to the VOR, the captain called out the outer marker. The first officer agreed, and the captain stated that they could descend to 2,300 ft. Shortly thereafter, the first officer stated that he was descending the aircraft to 2,300 ft. Three seconds later, the Learjet impacted trees, then terrain. The wreckage was located at an altitude of 2,300 ft, on rising mountainous terrain, 061° magnetic, 12.5 nautical miles from the VOR. The weather conditions were raining and foggy at the time.
Searches were mounted, unsuccessfully. The wreckage was found near Smarts Mountain almost three years later, on November 13, 1999, about 20 mi (32 km) from the airport. Debris was spread over a 150-yard (140 m) area in dense forest. The aircraft had descended into the ground 10.3 nmi (19.1 km) earlier than normal.
The cause of the accident, as determined by the National Transportation Safety Board, was:
The captain's failure to maintain
situational awareness, which resulted in the airplane being outside the confines of the instrument approach; and the crew's misinterpretation of a step-down fix passage, which resulted in an early descent into rising terrain. Factors included the captain's misreading of the instrument approach procedure, the crew's rushed and incomplete instrument approach briefing, their failure to use additional, available navigational aids, and their failure to account for the winds at altitude.[4]
ELT regulations
The crashed aircraft had no
FAA to require the installation of 406 MHz ELTs in all business jets (replacing the 121.5 MHz units installed in some).[5]
References
- ^ Ferns, Jack (Summer 2006). "From the Cockpit" (PDF). The Aeronaut. New Hampshire Aviation Historical Society.
- ^ Pope, Stephen (March 2004). "Cabin & Cockpit Avionics". Aviation International News. Archived from the original on June 5, 2004.
- ^ "National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report". www.ntsb.gov. National Transportation Safety Board. NYC97FA194. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- ^ "NYC97FA194". www.ntsb.gov. National Transportation Safety Board. NYC97FA194. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
- Flight Global. January 6, 2004. Retrieved October 11, 2015.