- Date
- September 19, 2008, 23:53 local (Sep 20, 2008, 03:53 UTC)
- Place
- Columbia, SC
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N999LJLearjet LR60
- Defining event
- Takeoff-rejected takeoff: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report July 16, 2010
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting
- Investigation class
- Class 1
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- AAI-100
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 20080919846669A
- Case key
- 68960
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 operator’s inadequate maintenance of the airplane’s tires, which resulted in multiple tire failures during takeoff roll due to severe underinflation, and the captain’s execution of a rejected takeoff (RTO) after V1, which was inconsistent with her training and standard operating procedures. Contributing to the accident were (1) deficiencies in Learjet’s design of and the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) certification of the Learjet Model 60’s thrust reverser system, which permitted the failure of critical systems in the wheel well area to result in uncommanded forward thrust that increased the severity of the accident; (2) the inadequacy of Learjet’s safety analysis and the FAA’s review of it, which failed to detect and correct the thrust reverser and wheel well design deficiencies after a 2001 uncommanded forward thrust accident; (3) inadequate industry training standards for flight crews in tire failure scenarios; and (4) the flight crew’s poor crew resource management (CRM).
Findings · 14
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.
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 NTSB’s full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-10/02. On September 19, 2008, about 2353 eastern daylight time, a Bombardier Learjet Model 60, N999LJ, owned by Inter Travel and Services, Inc., and operated by Global Exec Aviation, overran runway 11 during a rejected takeoff at Columbia Metropolitan Airport, Columbia, South Carolina. The captain, the first officer, and two passengers were killed; two other passengers were seriously injured. The nonscheduled domestic passenger flight to Van Nuys, California, was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed.
Factual narrative
The NTSB’s full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-10/02. On September 19, 2008, about 2353 eastern daylight time, a Bombardier Learjet Model 60, N999LJ, owned by Inter Travel and Services, Inc., and operated by Global Exec Aviation, overran runway 11 during a rejected takeoff at Columbia Metropolitan Airport, Columbia, South Carolina. The captain, the first officer, and two passengers were killed; two other passengers were seriously injured. The nonscheduled domestic passenger flight to Van Nuys, California, was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N999LJ
- Reported as
- Learjet LR60
- Category
- Airplane
- Airframe hours
- 108
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney Canada PW305A, 4,600 lbs thrust, turbo fanPratt & Whitney Canada PW305A, 4,600 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Global Exec Avaition
- Registered owner
- Inter Travel and Services
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- KCAE · Columbia, SC
- Destination
- KVNY · Van Nuys, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KCAE · Columbia Metropolitan, runway 11, 8,601 × 150 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
- Injuries
- Fatal
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Seat
- Left
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Injuries
- Fatal
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Seat
- Right
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 60° at 7 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 14 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Observed at
- CAE
Docket · 44
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 7, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 62.0 MB 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.