- Date
- November 10, 1984, 19:06 local (23:06 UTC)
- Place
- St. Thomas
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N81MCGates Learjet 24F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841110061269A
- Case key
- 31210
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
While executing a night visual approach to runway 9 in visual meteorological conditions the aircraft was allowed to descend; crashing into water 2 miles short of the runway. The pilot was not familiar with the airport and failed to make use of a full instrument landing system and visual approach slope indicating system which were operational for run-way 9 at the time of the accident. The pilot stated there were no mechanical malfunctions with the aircraft which attributed to the accident. The aircraft was equipped with a radar altimeter system which also was not used by the plt. The plt performed two missed approaches because the arpt was not in sight. The accident occurred during the 3rd attempt. Neither the PIC nor the co-plt were properly certificated for the flt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N81MC
- Reported as
- Gates Learjet 24F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 344
- Airframe hours
- 2,643
- Engine
- GE CJ-610-6, 2,950 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lisle Aircraft Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 5, 1984 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- FLL · Ft.Lauderdale, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- STT · Harry S. Truman, runway 9, 5,358 × 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,190 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STT, 2 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.