- Date
- January 30, 1984, 13:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Avalon, CA
- Injuries
- 6 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N44GALearjet 24
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19840130054369A
- Case key
- 15805
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 acft departed on a sales demo flt to monterey, CA with potential buyers aboard. En route, the destination was changed to Avalon, CA. UNICOM advised the crew of the wind direction & speed on downwind. Witnesses reported the acft was slightly hi on final, but said the plt corrected the angle of descent. The acft touched down aprx 500' down the rwy, which was crowned (sloped upward for aprx the 1st 2000', then leveled off). The crew could not see the end of the rwy at touchdown. The thrust reversers were deployed aprx 1000' after touchdown. Witnesses heard the eng sound increase,then decrease, then increase again as the acft went off the rwy & over a 90' bluff. Fire erupted immediately. Within 3 min, arpt psnl arrived with firefighting equip, but they were not trained as firefighters & did not try to stop the firefor fear of an explosion. No evidence of a mechanical failure/malfunction was found. Found l flap extended, l spoiler retracted & locked, tire marks on rwy. Estimated gross wt: 11,500 lbs. Computed landing dist over a 50' obstcl: 3100'.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N44GA
- Reported as
- Learjet 24
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 129
- Airframe hours
- 3,306
- Engine
- GE CJ610-4, 2,850 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Aviation Business Flights
- Registered owner
- Gee Bee Aero, Inc
- Last inspection
- Unknown · August 8, 1900 · 66 hours before
- Departed
- STS · Santa Rosa, CA
- Destination
- AVX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- AVX · Catalina, runway 22, 3,240 × 100 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 1,100 in this make and model · 6,000 as pilot in command · 95 in the last 90 days · 29 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 100 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AVX
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.