# Accident 20010824028449A: Lear 25, Ithaca, NY, August 24, 2001

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 24, 2001, 05:42 local time
- Place: Ithaca, NY
- Airport: Tompkins County
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: HAEA
- Location: 42.5014° N, 76.4733° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.5014&lon=-76.4733&mi=10
- Aircraft: N153TW, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N153TW-2002-01-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Learjet 25 (registry code 5170506, https://openairdocs.org/model/learjet-25) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: GE CJ610-SER series (registry code 30006, https://openairdocs.org/engine/ge-cj610-ser-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: LEAR 25
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC01FA214](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC01FA214) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010824028449A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2001 AT 0542 LOCAL TIME, A LEARJET LR-25-25 AIRCRAFT, OPERATED BY AMERISTAR JET CHARTER, INC. TOOK OFF FROM RUNWAY 32 AT TOMPKINS COUNTY AIRPORT (ITH), ITHACA, NEW YORK. ROYCE A. READ, CERTIFICATE NUMBER 441542305 PILOTED THE AIRCRAFT. BRIAN D. O'LAUGHLIN, CERTIFICATE NUMBER 522536093 WAS IN THE RIGHT SEAT. AS ITH TOWER WAS CLOSED AT THE TIME, BUFFALO FSS GAVE A VOID TIME IFR CLEARANCE FOR TAKEOFF. THE WEATHER WAS CALM WITH HEAVY FOG. A GROUND OBSERVER SAW THE AIRCRAFT ROTATE AT TAXIWAY "CHARLEY" AND SAW THE BEACONS ASCEND INTO THE FOG UP TO THE POINT THEY BECAME OBSCURE, ESTIMATED 150-200 FEET AGL. THE AIRCRAFT THEN FLEW THROUGH THE PERIMETER FENCE OF THE AIRPORT IN A WINGS-LEVEL ATTITUDE WITH ONLY A SLIGHT VARITION OF RUNWAY HEADING TO THE NORTH, STRUCK THE RAISED ROAD BED OF WARREN STREET, PROCEEDED ACROSS A GRASSY FIELD AND ENTERED AN AREA OF THICH BRUSH AND UNDERGROWTH WHERE THE FINAL DISMEMBERMENT OF THE AIRFRAME OCCURRED. THE FLIGHT CREW WERE KILLED IN THE CRASH. THE CARGO, CONSISTING OF 428 POUNDS OF AUTOMOTIVE PARTS IN A SHIPPING TUB WAS FOUND STILL SECURED INTO ITS PROPER POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT HAD FUELED BEFORE DEPARTURE, TAKING 50 GALLONS INTO EACH OF ITS TWO TIP TANKS. THE FUEL WAS SERVICED WITH A DEICING ADDITIVE. NO DEBRIS WAS FOUND ON THE RUNWAY OR UNDER THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE NTSB AND FAA AAI WERE ON THE SCENE AND ARE STILL INVESTIGATING.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC01FA214](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC01FA214), Aug 24, 2001: Learjet 25 (N153TW), Ithaca, NY, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain a proper climb rate while taking off at night, which was a result of spatial disorientation. Factors in the accident were the low visibility and cloud conditions, and…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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