CEN11LA265

NTSB accident investigation · Dassault-Breguet Falcon 10 · Sellersburg, IN · March 24, 2011

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
March 23, 2011, 22:50 local (Mar 24, 2011, 02:50 UTC)
Place
Sellersburg, IN
Injuries
3 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N303FZDassault-Breguet Falcon 10
Defining event
Landing: Loss of control on ground
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Night
Status
Completed · report January 17, 2012
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration, Indianapolis FSDO
FAA report
20110323004619A
Case key
78759

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

On this page

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing in strong and gusty wind conditions.

Findings · 4

NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.

Performance/control parameters: directional controlAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedDassault-Breguet FALCON 10: 1 caseAll aircraft: 3,958 casesProbable cause
Wind: high windEnvironmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Ability to respond/compensateDassault-Breguet FALCON 10: 1 caseAll aircraft: 112 cases
Wind: gustsEnvironmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Ability to respond/compensateDassault-Breguet FALCON 10: 1 caseAll aircraft: 1,199 cases

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Analysis

The pilot was landing the airplane in a strong and gusty left quartering headwind and, as the airplane touched down, it encountered a wind gust that raised the left wing. The pilot corrected with a left roll input as he simultaneously reduced the airplane's pitch in an attempt to place the nosewheel onto the runway, but the airplane became airborne and drifted off the runway. The airplane touched down for the second time in the grassy area alongside the runway, where the subsequent landing roll was completed. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

Factual narrative

On March 23, 2011, about 2250 eastern daylight time, a Dassault-Breguet model Falcon 10 business jet, N303FZ, was substantially damaged when it departed the runway during landing at Clark Regional Airport (KJVY), Sellersburg, Indiana. The captain, first officer, and sole passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Aviation Transport Solutions LLC, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a business flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight from Butler County Regional Airport (KHAO), Hamilton, Ohio, that departed about 2200. The captain, an airline transport pilot, reported that he was the pilot-flying during the accident flight. After departure, the flight had to circumnavigate around numerous thunderstorms that affected the planned route of flight. When the flight was within 25 nautical miles (nm) of its intended destination, the flight crew canceled the instrument flight plan and concluded the flight under visual flight rules. The local weather conditions were obtained from the destination airport's automatic weather observing system. The captain noted the wind was from 310 degrees at 19 knots, gusting 27 knots. A 5 nm straight-in final approach was flown to runway 36 (5,500 feet by 100 feet). The captain reported that the landing reference speed (Vref) was 110 knots, which included a 5 knot gust factor. As the airplane touched down on its main landing gear, it encountered a wind gust that raised the left wing. The captain corrected with a left roll input as he simultaneously reduced the airplane's pitch in an attempt to place the nose wheel onto the runway, but the airplane became airborne and drifted off the runway. The airplane touched down for the second time in the grassy area alongside the runway where the subsequent landing roll was completed without further incident. The captain reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. A postaccident examination of the airframe revealed that the right main landing gear had shifted/twisted inside the wheel well damaging both forward and aft spar assemblies. Additionally, the aft movement of the nose landing gear had damaged the forward pressure bulkhead. Both engines appeared to have ingested foreign object debris past their first compressor stages. The nearest aviation weather observation station with recorded historical weather information was at Bowman Field Airport (KLOU), about 10 nm south of destination airport, which was equipped with an automated surface observing system (ASOS). At 2253, the KLOU ASOS reported the following weather conditions: Wind 310 degrees at 22 knots, gusting 29 knots; visibility 10 miles; sky clear; temperature 14 degrees Celsius; dew point 4 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 29.65 inches of mercury. The report also noted a peak windvelocity was recorded at 2223 measuring 38 knots from 310 degrees.

Aircraft

Registration
N303FZ
Reported as
Dassault-Breguet Falcon 10
Category
Airplane
Serial number
218
Airframe hours
7,640
Engines
Garrett TFE731-2-1C, 3,230 lbs thrust, turbo fanGarrett TFE731-2-1C, 3,230 lbs thrust, turbo fan
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Business · Part 91
Operator
Aviation Transport Solutions, LLC
Registered owner
Aviation Transport Solutions, LLC
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Transport
Last inspection
Continuous airworthiness · March 16, 2011
Departed
KHAO · Hamilton, OH
Destination
KJVY · Sellersburg, IN
Flight plan
IFR
Airport
KJVY · Clark Regional Airport, runway 36, 5,500 × 100 ft, asphalt

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Flight crew · 2

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
62
Injuries
None
Certificate
Airline transport
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Helicopter, Airplane
Medical
Class 1, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
August 20, 2010
Seat
Left
Flight hours
13,777 total · 300 in this make and model · 11,704 as pilot in command · 89 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Role
Co-pilot
Age
32
Injuries
None
Certificates
Commercial, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
August 20, 2010
Seat
Right
Flight hours
2,642 total · 140 in this make and model · 124 in the last 90 days · 39 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Night
Wind
310° at 22 knots, gusting 29
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
57 °F, dew point 39 °F
Altimeter
29.64 inHg
Observed at
KLOU, 10 nm away

Docket · 4

The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 1, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 668 KB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.