Narrative:
Learjet N182K departed Norfolk (ORF) at 12:39, carrying five passengers. The airplane landed at Atlantic City (ACY) at 13:13 where two passengers deplaned. At 13:47 the jet continued on to Groton (GON). The crew briefed the runway 05 ILS approach, including the missed approach procedures. Weather at the time included a 100-foot broken cloud layer, and at the airport, 2 miles visibility. The approach was flown over water, and at the accident location, there was dense fog. Two smaller airplanes had successfully completed the approach prior to the accident airplane. The captain flew the approach and the first officer made 100-foot callouts during the final descent, until 200 feet above the decision height. At that point, the captain asked the first officer if he saw anything. The first officer reported "ground contact," then noted "decision height." The captain immediately reported "I got the lights" which the first officer confirmed. The captain reduced the power to flight idle. Approximately 4 seconds later, the captain attempted to increase power. However, the engines did not have time to respond before the airplane descended into the water and impacted a series of approach light stanchions, commencing about 2,000 feet from the runway. Neither crew member continued to call out altitudes after seeing the approach lights, and the captain descended the airplane below the decision height before having the requisite descent criteria. The absence of ground references could have been conducive to a featureless terrain illusion in which the captain would have believed that the airplane was at a higher altitude than it actually was.
Weather just before the time of the accident (13:56) was:
KGON 021756Z 19007KT 2SM BR BKN006 20/18 A2986 RMK AO2 SLP109 T02000183 10211 20178 58004= [wind 190 degrees at 7 kts, visibility 2 miles, mist 5-7 oktas cloud at 600ft, temperature 20C, dewpoint 18C, QNH 29.86in]
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The crew's failure to properlymonitor the airplane's altitude, which resulted in the captain's inadvertent descent of the airplane into water. Contributing to the accident were the foggy weather conditions, and the captain's decision to descend below the decision height without sufficient visual cues."
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Water
» NTSB
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Friday 2 June 2006 |
| Time: | 14:40 |
| Type: |  Learjet 35A |
| Operating for: | International Jet Charter |
| Leased from: | Robertson Asset Management |
| Registration: | N182K |
| MSN: | 35A-293 |
| First flight: | 1980 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 11704 |
| Engines: | 2 Garrett TFE731-2-2B |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 5 |
| Aircraft damage: | Damaged beyond repair |
| Location: | off New London-Groton Airport, CT (GON) ( United States of America)
|
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Atlantic City International Airport, NJ (ACY/KACY), United States of America |
| New London-Groton Airport, CT (GON/KGON), United States of America |
Learjet N182K departed Norfolk (ORF) at 12:39, carrying five passengers. The airplane landed at Atlantic City (ACY) at 13:13 where two passengers deplaned. At 13:47 the jet continued on to Groton (GON). The crew briefed the runway 05 ILS approach, including the missed approach procedures. Weather at the time included a 100-foot broken cloud layer, and at the airport, 2 miles visibility. The approach was flown over water, and at the accident location, there was dense fog. Two smaller airplanes had successfully completed the approach prior to the accident airplane. The captain flew the approach and the first officer made 100-foot callouts during the final descent, until 200 feet above the decision height. At that point, the captain asked the first officer if he saw anything. The first officer reported "ground contact," then noted "decision height." The captain immediately reported "I got the lights" which the first officer confirmed. The captain reduced the power to flight idle. Approximately 4 seconds later, the captain attempted to increase power. However, the engines did not have time to respond before the airplane descended into the water and impacted a series of approach light stanchions, commencing about 2,000 feet from the runway. Neither crew member continued to call out altitudes after seeing the approach lights, and the captain descended the airplane below the decision height before having the requisite descent criteria. The absence of ground references could have been conducive to a featureless terrain illusion in which the captain would have believed that the airplane was at a higher altitude than it actually was.
Weather just before the time of the accident (13:56) was:
KGON 021756Z 19007KT 2SM BR BKN006 20/18 A2986 RMK AO2 SLP109 T02000183 10211 20178 58004= [wind 190 degrees at 7 kts, visibility 2 miles, mist 5-7 oktas cloud at 600ft, temperature 20C, dewpoint 18C, QNH 29.86in]
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The crew's failure to properlymonitor the airplane's altitude, which resulted in the captain's inadvertent descent of the airplane into water. Contributing to the accident were the foggy weather conditions, and the captain's decision to descend below the decision height without sufficient visual cues."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Water
Sources:
» 2 Killed, 3 Hurt In Learjet Crash (The Hartford Courant, 2-6-2006)» NTSB
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Atlantic City International Airport, NJ to New London-Groton Airport, CT as the crow flies is 297 km (186 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Atlantic City International Airport, NJ to New London-Groton Airport, CT as the crow flies is 297 km (186 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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