19980205005819I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Lear 35A · West Mifflin, PA · February 5, 1998

Date: February 5, 1998 · 10:15 local
Place: West Mifflin, PA
Phase of flight: Practice Training Manuevers
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N88JA
Reported as: Lear 35A
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,320 total1,825 in this make and model41 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: the company director of operations explained that a turning aircraft can sometimes propel the towed target abeam or even ahead of the Learjet, causing the target to now become an obstacle during rollout of the turn. Also see attached detail sheets. The pilot used poor judgment by choosing to fly the airplane without first having it inspected by qualified personnel to ascertain its worthiness.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE COMPANY DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS EXPLAINED THAT A TURNING AIRCRAFT CAN SOMETIMES PROPEL THE TOWED TARGET ABEAM OR EVEN AHEAD OF THE LEARJET, CAUSING THE TARGET TO NOW BECOME AN OBSTACLE DURING ROLLOUT OF THE TURN. ALSO SEE ATTACHED DETAIL SHEETS. THE PILOT USED POOR JUDGMENT BY CHOOSING TO FLY THE AIRPLANE WITHOUT FIRST HAVING IT INSPECTED BY QUALIFIED PERSONNEL TO ASCERTAIN ITS WORTHINESS.