Learjet 35 N46MF

Summary

On 2 January 2024 at about 23:10 local time, a Learjet 35 registered N46MF, operated by MED Flight Air Ambulance Inc, was involved in an accident near San Marcos, Texas, United States. 5 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

2 January 2024 at 23:10

Classification

Accident

Location

San Marcos, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

San Marcos Rgnl (HYI)

Coordinates

29.8854, -97.8553

Aircraft

Learjet 35

Registration

N46MF

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

2

Operator

MED Flight Air Ambulance Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Albuquerque → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA085

Nobody was injured.

The captain’s failure to perform a go-around following an unstable approach while landing with a gusty tailwind, which resulted in the airplane touching down long on the wet runway with insufficient distance to stop. Contributing to the accident was the crew’s unawareness of the prevailing winds and first officer’s decision to not call a go-around.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in cruise flight approaching the descent for landing, the crew received automated weather information that was about an hour old that reported wind from the northeast. The crew selected the precision approach to the airport, which landed toward the southeast. Unknown to the crew, the wind had shifted from the northeast to a tailwind from the northwest and had increased in velocity with gusts. They did not request current weather during the descent, and no weather information was provided by the tower controller. Recorded data for the approach revealed that the airplane had a 15-knot tailwind and a steep descent rate before the landing, which exceeded the company’s general operation manual’s criteria for a stabilized approach. Data showed the airplane touched down at 124 knots about halfway down runway 13, which was wet, with about 2,600 ft remaining. The captain applied the brakes and reported that they were unresponsive. The airplane overran the runway and traveled into a grass field. The nose landing gear separated from the airplane, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The first officer (FO) stated that he perceived that the airplane had hydroplaned on landing. A performance study conducted for the accident flight using available airplane and weather information revealed the landing distance for the airplane on a wet/contaminated runway was 4,550 ft; runway 13 was 5,601 ft. The calculated landing reference speed to included “half the gust factor” was 125 knots. The manufacturer’s flight manual lists the maximum tailwind component as 10 knots. The landing data for the flight could not be calculated since the actual tailwind component at the time of the landing exceeded 10 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.