- Date
- January 16, 1997, 14:28 local (20:28 UTC)
- Place
- Muscatine, IA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N991TDLearjet 24
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970116000519A
- Case key
- 10508
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 directional control. A factor was the snow covered runway edge.
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
According to the pilot, the airplane '...began moving to the left side of the runway...' immediately upon touchdown. He attempted to abort the landing but the airplane contacted snow at the runway's left edge. The airplane exited the runway's left edge and slid sideways, about 300 yards.
Factual narrative
On January 16, 1997, at 1428 central standard time, a Lear 24, N991TD, piloted by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged when it departed the left side of runway 23 (5,500' X 100' asphalt with patchy snow-pack and ice) at the Muscatine Municipal Airport, Muscatine, Iowa. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 positioning flight had been operating on an IFR flight plan. The pilot and co-pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed Ft. Wayne, Indiana, 1500 est.
The pilot-in-command's written statement said the airplane "...began moving to the left side of the runway..." immediately upon touch down. He said he applied power to abort the landing "...but contacted [a snow] drift of the left side of the runway... ." He said the airplane departed the runway and went out of control. The co-pilot's written statment reflects the pilot's statement.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Principal Operations Inspector (POI) represented the NTSB on-scene. He said the airplane began to drift to the left when it touched down. According to the POI, the pilot said he had attempted a go-around but the left main gear tires began to roll through snow near the runway's edge. The POI said the pilot stated the snow dragged the airplane further left. The POI said the airplane departed the runway edge about 800 feet from runway 23's approach threshold. The airplane slid sideways about 300 yards before coming to a stop.
The on-scene investigation revealed N991TD's nose gear had collapsed aft and penetrated the fuselage skin. Fuselage stringers and bulkheads at the penetration area were bent and the surrounding skin wrinkled. The right wing tip tank was ruptured, and wing spar number 7 had a sheared web at the landing gear support pillar. Fuel was observed leaking from the bottom wing skin between the main landing gear assemblies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N991TD
- Reported as
- Learjet 24
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24124
- Engine
- GE CJ-610, 2,850 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- American Air Network
- Registered owner
- Air Cargo Express
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- FTW · Fort Wayne, IN
- Destination
- MUT
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MUT · Muscatine Municipal, runway 23, 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,200 total · 700 in this make and model · 6,000 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 19 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 3 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MUT, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.