Learjet 25B N252BK

Summary

On 20 December 2004 at about 19:30 local time, a Learjet 25B registered N252BK, operated by Goldstar International, Inc., was involved in an accident near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 December 2004 at 19:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Eastern Iowa Airport (CID)

Coordinates

41.8839, -91.7064

Aircraft

Learjet 25B

Registration

N252BK

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Goldstar International, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cedar Rapids → McAllen

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI05LA047

Nobody was injured.

The pilot was not able to maintain directional control of the airplane due to the failure of the nose gear strut seal which prevented the nose wheel from centering. A factor associated with the accident was the berm that the airplane contacted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with a berm following a loss of directional control while landing. The airplane was on a 14 CFR Part 91 positioning flight at the time of the accident. The pilots reported that they encountered what they thought were rough spots on the runway during the takeoff roll. The captain reported that after takeoff, he called for the co-pilot to raise the gear and engage the yaw damper. The crew then noticed an unsafe gear indication for the nose gear. The captain stated they leveled off at 5,000 feet and decreased the airspeed so they could recycled the landing gear. Cycling the landing gear did not resolve the problem. The crew then requested to return to the departure airport for landing. The landing gear was extended and a gear down and locked indication for all three landing gear was observed. The captain stated that on touchdown, the co-pilot extended the spoilers and armed the thrust reversers. He stated that after the nose wheel touched down the airplane made a sharp left turn and traveled off the side of the runway through the grass. The airplane contacted a four-foot high berm prior to coming to a stop on another runway. The captain stated he attempted to taxi the airplane only to discover that they did not have any nose wheel steering. Post accident inspection revealed the seal on the nose gear strut had failed which prevented the nose gear from centering.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.