Learjet 35 N55FN

Summary

On 15 December 2018 at about 14:33 local time, a Learjet 35 registered N55FN, operated by Medway Air Ambulance, was involved in an accident near Key West, Florida, 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

15 December 2018 at 14:33

Classification

Accident

Location

Key West, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Key West Intl (EYW)

Coordinates

24.5561, -81.7536

Aircraft

Learjet 35

Registration

N55FN

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

2

Operator

Medway Air Ambulance

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lawrenceville → Key West

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA19LA073

Nobody was injured.

The flight crew’s encounter with windshear during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight crew conducted an instrument approach to their destination airport that terminated in a missed approach. Air traffic control provided radar vectors for a second approach, and during that time, the wind shifted due to the passage of a cold front and favored the opposite direction runway. The subsequent approach was uneventful; however, during the landing flare, the airplane touched down hard and was substantially damaged. Review of a weather sounding taken shortly before the accident revealed the potential for low-level windshear activity between the surface and 1,000 feet. Given this information, it is most likely that the flight crew encountered windshear during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.