- Date
- September 24, 1992, 10:55 local (15:55 UTC)
- Place
- Hutchinson, KS
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N602LJLearjet LR-60
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 15, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920924039219A
- Case key
- 15557
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
Inadequate flight test methods by the manufacturer and the FAA which did not permit safe operating clearances.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The flight was engaged in a test flight that involved an intentional induced autopilot malfunction at 80 feet above the runway surface. The crew is required to delay recovery for 2.0 seconds and then recover from the malfunction. The aircraft made a hard landing during the attempted recovery resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The malfunction input was made by an avionics engineer in the aft cabin who did not have a readout of radar altitude. The company and the federal aviation administration have modified their flight test guidance for low altitude intentional malfunctions since this accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N602LJ
- Reported as
- Learjet LR-60
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 60-002
- Airframe hours
- 206
- Engine
- P&W PW305, 4,600 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Learjet Inc., doing business as Learjet
- Registered owner
- Learjet Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 2, 2000 · 206 hours before
- Departed
- ICT · Wichita, KS
- Airport
- KHUT · Hutchinson, runway 13, 7,001 × 100 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 41
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,150 total · 153 in this make and model · 5,726 as pilot in command · 118 in the last 90 days · 54 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.