# Accident 20090103000439A: Beech 45, Telluride, CO, January 3, 2009 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: January 3, 2009, 17:10 local time - Place: Telluride, CO - Airport: Telluride Regional - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Landing - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Operator: J7EA - Location: 37.8703° N, 107.9086° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.8703&lon=-107.9086&mi=10 - Aircraft: N279AJ, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N279AJ-2018-01-03) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Learjet 45 (registry code 5170805, https://openairdocs.org/model/learjet-45) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BEECH 45 - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 4,800 total, 886 in this make and model, 55 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN09LA116](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN09LA116) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20090103000439A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23)ON JANUARY 4, 2009, N279AJ WAS ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLANE FROM SCOTTSDALE, AZ (KSDL) TO TELLURIDE, CO (KTEX). THE AIRCRAFT ARRIVED AT KTEX AND ELECTED TO HOLD OVER CONES INTERSECTION, AT APPROXIMATELY 1600 LOCAL TIME, TO WAIT FOR WEATHER MINIMUMS TO IMPROVE. THE REPORTED WEATHER AT THE TIME OF ARRIVAL AT THE HOLD WAS 1 ¼ STATUE MILE VISIBILITY AND 600 FEET OVERCAST. APPROXIMATELY 40 MINUTES LATER THE WEATHER REPORTED MINIMUMS IMPROVED TO 4 STATUE MILES VISIBILITY AND 1,700 FEET OVERCAST. THE PILOTS REPORTED TO BE IN AND OUT OF THE CLOUDS ON THE LOCALIZER ONLY APPROACH TO RUNWAY 9 AT KTEX. ON THE FIRST APPROACH THE PILOT-NOT-FLYING (PNF) HAD THE RUNWAY ENVIRONMENT IN SIGHT FROM APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE ON FINAL APPROACH. THE RUNWAY HAD APPROXIMATELY ½ INCH OF SNOW ON THE RUNWAY. THE PNF STATED THAT HE HAD THE RUNWAY LIGHTS IN SITE. THE PILOT FLYING (PF) DID NOT GET THE RUNWAY ENVIRONMENT IN SITE ON THIS APPROACH. IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE MISSED APPROACH WAS BEING EXECUTED THAT THE APPROACH ONE MORE TIME AND IF THEY COULD NOT GET INTO KTEX THEY WOULD FLY TO MONTROSE, CO (KMTJ). THE SECOND APPROACH WAS STATED TO BE SIMILAR AND FLIGHT VISIBILITY WAS STATED TO BE 6 STATUTE MILES. AT APPROXIMATELY 4 STATUE MILES FROM THE AIRPORT BOTH PILOTS STATED THAT THEY HAD THE RUNWAY ENVIRONMENT IN SITE. AT THAT POINT THE PILOTS STATED THAT THEY MADE A 360 TURN ON FINAL TO LOOSE ALTITUDE. THE PNF STATED THAT HALFWAY THROUGH THE TURN HE WATCHED AS THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED OUT ON FINAL ON CENTERLINE. THE PNF LOOKED DOWN TO VERIFY THE PF AIRSPEED OF VREF OF 118 KNOTS. THE NEXT TIME THE PNF LOOKED UP WAS APPROXIMATELY 1000 FEET FROM CROSSING THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD. HE STATED THAT HE LOOKED DOWN AGAIN TO REFERENCE THE PF’S AIRSPEED AND LOOKED UP WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN FLARE. AT THAT POINT HE CANNOT REMEMBER IF HE DID OR DID NOT SEE THE RUNWAY LIGHTS. THE PF STATED THAT SHE SAW THE PAPI ON THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT SIDE RUNWAY EDGE IDENTIFIER LIGHTS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OVER THE THRESHOLD. AT THAT POINT SHE STATED THAT SHE WAS CORRECTING FOR AN UNEXPECTED GUS OF WIND FROM THE LEFT AND MADE CORRECTIONS TO MAINTAIN RUNWAY CENTER. WIND CONDITIONS AT 2310 ZULU (1710 LOCAL) WERE REPORTED AS 240 AT 5 KNOTS. AT 2330 ZULU (1730 LOCAL) THEY WERE REPORTED TO BE 260 AT 5 KNOTS. AIRPORT AUTHORITY AND RESCUE PERSONNEL STATED THAT THEY SAW THE AIRCRAFT LINE UP ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE MAINS AT APPROXIMATLEY 2700 FEET DOWN FROM THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 9 APPROACH END AND 10 FEET TO THE SOUTH OF RUNWAY 9 AT KTEX. THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED 200 WHEN THE NOSE GEAR SHEARED OFF OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST 600 FEET EAST OF THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN. THE FUSELAGE WAS FACING SOUTH SOUTHWEST WITH THE WINGS (ALL IN ONE PIECE, THE WHOLE WINGSPAN AND MAIN GEAR STILL ATTACHED, IN THE DOWN POSITION ) PARALLELING THE FUSELAGE WITH THE GEAR FACING UPWARDS. THE WINGS WERE ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE. THE THREE WING ATTACH POINTS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE WERE SHEARED (THE LEFT SIDE WAS BURIED IN SNOW). THE TAIL SECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS BROKEN AND TURNED TOWARDS THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE BULKHEAD BEHIND THE COCKPIT WAS DAMAGED AND MADE EXITING THE AIRCRAFT FOR THE CREW DIFFICULT. THE CREW EXITED THE EMERGENCY EXIT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT DUE LAYING ON IT’S LEFT SIDE WHERE THE MAIN CABIN DOOR IS LOCATED. THE PF SUSTAINED A BROKEN RIB. THE PNF HAD A SCRAPED KNUCKLE. ## 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 CEN09LA116](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN09LA116), Jan 3, 2009: Learjet 45XR (N279AJ), Telluride, CO, substantial damage. Probable cause: The failure of both pilots to positively identify the runway prior to landing. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.