Gates Learjet Corporation 35A accident near El Cajon, CA
On December 28, 2021, a Gates Learjet Corporation 35A (airplane) was involved in an accident near El Cajon, CA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 28, 2021
- Place
- El Cajon, CA
- Aircraft
- Gates Learjet Corporation 35A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.821°N, 116.939°W
- NTSB ID
- 20211228104445
Official records · WPR22FA068
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Operational Factors Attachment 2 FAA Personnel Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC - Group Chair's Factual Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC - Attachment 1 - ATC Audio Partial Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC - Attachment 2 - Ads-B Data: Document (ZIP), on ntsb.gov
- ATC - Attachment 4 - See Atct Facility Records And Documentation: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 27, 2021, about 1914 Pacific standard time, a Gates Learjet Corporation 35A, N880Z, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near El Cajon, California. The 2 pilots and 2 flight nurses were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 repositioning flight. Earlier in the day, the flight crew had flown from Lake Havasu City Airport (HII), Lake Havasu, Arizona, to John Wayne/Orange County Airport (SNA), Santa Ana, California, for a patient transfer. They departed SNA about 1856 to reposition to their home base at Gillespie Field (SEE), El Cajon, California. Review of communication recordings revealed that at 1908:23, the pilot contacted the SEE Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) and reported to the controller they were on the GPS approach to runway 17. The controller issued the current wind and cleared the pilot to land on runway 17. At 1912:03, the pilot reported the airport in sight and requested to squawk VFR. The controller did not acknowledge the request to squawk VFR; however, he reissued the landing clearance for runway 17. At 1912:13, the pilot requested to land on runway 27. The controller asked the pilot if they wanted to cancel their IFR flight plan, to which the pilot replied, “yes sir.” The controller acknowledged that the IFR cancellation was received and instructed the pilot to overfly the field and enter left traffic for runway 27R and cleared them to land on runway 27R. At 1912:30, the pilot requested that the runway lights for runway 27R be increased; however, the controller
Probable cause
The flight crew’s decision to descend below the published MDA, cancel their IFR clearance to conduct an unauthorized circle-to-land approach to another runway while the airport was in nighttime IFR conditions, and the exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, and subsequently entering an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the tower crew’s failure to
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Browse: California · Gates Learjet aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
