NTSB Cites Poor Maintenance In Columbia, SC Accident

The Air Charter Safety Foundation (ACSF) has been following the investigation into the September 19, 2008 Bombardier Learjet crash in Columbia, SC. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) this week determined that the probable cause of the accident was the operator’s inadequate maintenance of the aircraft’s tires and the captain’s decision to carry out a rejected takeoff after V-1. The Learjet Model 60, a Part 135 charter flight operated by Global Exec Aviation, overran the runway during a rejected takeoff at Columbia Metropolitan Airport. The captain, first officer, and two passengers were fatally injured.

The NTSB investigation revealed that the aircraft’s tires were severely underinflated due to the lack of proper maintenance by the operator, which compromised their integrity and resulted in the failure of all four main landing gear tires during the takeoff roll.

The first tire failed approximately1.5 seconds after the airplane passed V-1, the maximum speed at which the takeoff could be safely aborted. The captain then made the decision to reject the takeoff, an action that went against standard operating procedures and training. “Pilots are trained to avoid attempting to reject a takeoff at high-speed unless the pilot concludes that the airplane is unable to fly; the investigation found no evidence that the accident airplane was uncontrollable or unable to become airborne,” said the NTSB.

During the captain’s attempt to stop the airplane by using reverse thrust, forward thrust was being supplied at near-takeoff power because the thrust reversers were stowed. The tire failures during the takeoff roll damaged a sensor, which caused the thrust reversers to return to the stowed position. This inadvertent thrust contributed to the severity of the accident.

"This entirely avoidable crash should reinforce to everyone in the aviation community that there are no small maintenance items because every time a plane takes off, lives are on the line," said NTSB Chair Deborah Hersman.

A summary of the report is available on the NTSB’s Website: http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2010/AAR1002.htm