Narrative:
Royal Air Freight flight 399, a Learjet 55, landed on the closed runway 32 at Jeffersonville-Clark Regional Airport, Indiana, USA, and slid off the end. The two pilots on board were not injured.
The flight crew briefed and set up for the instrument landing system approach (ILS) to runway 18, expecting to break out of the overcast cloud layer and execute a visual approach to runway 36 due to more favorable winds. Upon exiting the overcast the captain activated the airports pilot controlled lighting system and the first officer saw the runway. Both pilots believed the runway that they saw was runway 36. They maneuvered the airplane visually toward the runway that was in-sight and executed a landing. Upon touchdown it became clear that they had inadvertently landed on runway 32, which they new was closed.
The airplane struck a snow berm at the edge of the intersection with runway 36, the landing gear broke from the airplane and the airplane slid to a stop. The airplane sustained damage to the landing gear, lower fuselage, wings and ventral strakes.
The runway had been closed due to the large amount of snow. The runway was covered with about 4 inches of snow that had yet to be cleared. The airport manager noted that the runway lights were on due to the snowplow operations that were taking place as an aid in determining the location of the runway edge. There were no plow trucks on runway 32 at the time of the accident because they had stopped for a dinner break.
Probable Cause: The flight crews failure to verify the correct runway for landing, which resulted in a landing on a snow contaminated runway and resulting damage to the airplane. The illumination of the lights associated with the closed runway contributed to the accident.
Runway excursion (veer-off)
» NTSB
KJVY 190015Z AUTO 36005KT 10SM OVC025 M01/M05 A3026 RMK AO2 T10151050 TSNO
23:35 UTC / 18:35 local time:
KJVY 182335Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM SCT025 BKN043 M01/M05 A3026 RMK AO2 T10141051 TSNO
23:55 UTC / 18:55 local time:
KJVY 182355Z AUTO 03003KT 10SM BKN025 OVC043 M01/M05 A3026 RMK AO2 T10151051 11005 21023 TSNO
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Thursday 18 February 2021 |
| Time: | 19:02 |
| Type: |  Learjet 55C |
| Operator: | Royal Air Freight |
| Registration: | N559RA |
| MSN: | 55-146 |
| First flight: | 1990 |
| Engines: | 2 Garrett TFE731 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Jeffersonville-Clark Regional Airport, IN (JVY) ( United States of America)
|
| Phase: | Landing (LDG) |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Fort Myers-Southwest Florida International Airport, FL (RSW/KRSW), United States of America |
| Jeffersonville-Clark Regional Airport, IN (JVY/KJVY), United States of America | |
| Flightnumber: | 399 |
Royal Air Freight flight 399, a Learjet 55, landed on the closed runway 32 at Jeffersonville-Clark Regional Airport, Indiana, USA, and slid off the end. The two pilots on board were not injured.
The flight crew briefed and set up for the instrument landing system approach (ILS) to runway 18, expecting to break out of the overcast cloud layer and execute a visual approach to runway 36 due to more favorable winds. Upon exiting the overcast the captain activated the airports pilot controlled lighting system and the first officer saw the runway. Both pilots believed the runway that they saw was runway 36. They maneuvered the airplane visually toward the runway that was in-sight and executed a landing. Upon touchdown it became clear that they had inadvertently landed on runway 32, which they new was closed.
The airplane struck a snow berm at the edge of the intersection with runway 36, the landing gear broke from the airplane and the airplane slid to a stop. The airplane sustained damage to the landing gear, lower fuselage, wings and ventral strakes.
The runway had been closed due to the large amount of snow. The runway was covered with about 4 inches of snow that had yet to be cleared. The airport manager noted that the runway lights were on due to the snowplow operations that were taking place as an aid in determining the location of the runway edge. There were no plow trucks on runway 32 at the time of the accident because they had stopped for a dinner break.
Probable Cause:
Probable Cause: The flight crews failure to verify the correct runway for landing, which resulted in a landing on a snow contaminated runway and resulting damage to the airplane. The illumination of the lights associated with the closed runway contributed to the accident.
Accident investigation:
|
Classification:
Takeoff from wrong runwayRunway excursion (veer-off)
Sources:
» flightaware.com» NTSB
METAR Weather report:
00:15 UTC / 19:15 local time:KJVY 190015Z AUTO 36005KT 10SM OVC025 M01/M05 A3026 RMK AO2 T10151050 TSNO
23:35 UTC / 18:35 local time:
KJVY 182335Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM SCT025 BKN043 M01/M05 A3026 RMK AO2 T10141051 TSNO
23:55 UTC / 18:55 local time:
KJVY 182355Z AUTO 03003KT 10SM BKN025 OVC043 M01/M05 A3026 RMK AO2 T10151051 11005 21023 TSNO
Follow-up / safety actions
issued 1 Notice to Airmen (Notam)
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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 Fort Myers-Southwest Florida International Airport, FL to Jeffersonville-Clark Regional Airport, IN as the crow flies is 1359 km (849 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Fort Myers-Southwest Florida International Airport, FL to Jeffersonville-Clark Regional Airport, IN as the crow flies is 1359 km (849 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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