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Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.

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December 15, 2018 · Learjet 35 A · N55FN

Key West, FL

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
December 15, 2018
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (4 uninjured)
Location
Key West, FL
Aircraft
Learjet 35 A (1978)
Tail Number
N55FN
Operator
Medway Air Ambulance
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
ERA19LA073

The flight crew conducted an instrument approach to their destination airport that terminated in a missed approach. Air traffic control provided radar vectors for a second approach, and during that time, the wind shifted due to the passage of a cold front and favored the opposite direction runway. The subsequent approach was uneventful; however, during the landing flare, the airplane touched down hard and was substantially damaged. Review of a weather sounding taken shortly before the accident revealed the potential for low-level windshear activity between the surface and 1,000 feet. Given this information, it is most likely that the flight crew encountered windshear during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

NTSB Probable Cause

Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained

Full Narrative

On December 15, 2018, about 0933 eastern standard time, a Learjet 35A, N55FN, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident during landing at Key West International Airport (EYW), Key West, Florida. The flight was operated by Medway Air Ambulance as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight. According to the operator, the first officer flew the initial approach to runway 9 at EYW. The crew visually acquired the runway but were not in a position to land the airplane and performed a missed approach. During the missed approach, they encountered turbulence, and the captain took the flight controls. While being radar-vectored for the second approach, air traffic control advised the crew that the wind had shifted and was favoring runway 27. The subsequent approach to runway 27 was uneventful. During the landing flare, the crew were unable to arrest the airplane’s descent, and the airplane landed hard. After taxiing to the ramp, they realized that the airplane was damaged during the landing. According to pictures provided by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the left engine pylon, left wing, and main landing gear. According to available weather information, a cold front moved across EYW around the time of the accident, followed by a second cold front that was approaching the area. The EYW upper air sounding, launched at 0700, indicated a surface wind from 220º at 6 knots with little directional variation with height and with wind speed increasing with height. At 1,000 ft a low-level wind maximum was identified from 210º at 18 knots, which resulted in a slight risk or "light" low-level wind shear condition below this level and potential surface wind gusts.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time09:33 EST
Nearest AirportKey West Intl (0nm ESE)
Runway27
Runway Length4801 ft
Runway Width100 ft
Flight Plan FiledIFR
Flight Plan ActivatedYes
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftLearjet 35 A
Tail NumberN55FN
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
OperatorMedway Air Ambulance
Operating RulePart 91
Engines2
Engine TypeTurbofan
Engine DetailsHoneywell · TFE731-2-2B · Turbofan · 3500 | Honeywell · TFE731-2-2B · Turbofan · 3500
Seats8

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (4 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured4
Total4
Crew 1Age 24 · First Class · None
Crew 2Age 41 · First Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsIMC
LightDaylight
Wind330° @ 13 kt, gusting 19 kt
CeilingBroken clouds 600 ft
Altimeter30.09 inHg
Observation Time14:25
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data