Incident Overview

Date: Wednesday 20 December 2000
Aircraft Type: British Aerospace BAe-125-700A
Owner/operator: Million Air Dallas
Registration Number: N236BN
Location: Jackson Hole Airport, WY (JAC) – ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Component Affected: The BAe-125-700A aircraft, specifically the ILS approach components (specifically the runway lights and the ILS frequency) and the pilot’s navigation systems (specifically the ILS frequency).The BAe-125-700A aircraft, specifically the ILS approach components (specifically the runway lights and the ILS frequency) and the pilot’s navigation systems (specifically the ILS frequency).
Investigating Agency: NTSBNTSB
Category: Accident
A British Aerospace BAe-125-700A corporate jet, registration N236BN, experienced a significant landing incident during a night cross-country flight from Austin, Texas, near Jackson Hole Airport, Wyoming. The aircraft was operating a full instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 18 at a high altitude, within a mountainous area, and was subsequently impacted by heavy snow. The pilot, captain, and two passengers were not injured. The incident involved a failure to follow IFR procedures and a critical miscommunication regarding runway lighting activation, leading to a landing in snow-covered terrain. The pilot?s actions resulted in the aircraft touching down 195 feet left of the runway centerline.A British Aerospace BAe-125-700A corporate jet, registration N236BN, experienced a significant landing incident during a night cross-country flight from Austin, Texas, near Jackson Hole Airport, Wyoming. The aircraft was operating a full instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 18 at a high altitude, within a mountainous area, and was subsequently impacted by heavy snow. The pilot, captain, and two passengers were not injured. The incident involved a failure to follow IFR procedures and a critical miscommunication regarding runway lighting activation, leading to a landing in snow-covered terrain. The pilot?s actions resulted in the aircraft touching down 195 feet left of the runway centerline.

Description

A British Aerospace BAe-125-700A corporate jet, registered N236BN, was substantially damaged when it impacted snow covered terrain during landing at Jackson Hole Airport (elevation 6,445 feet), Wyoming. The airline transport pilot captain, the airline transport pilot first officer, and the two passengers were not injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the night cross-country non-scheduled passenger flight that originated from Austin, Texas, 3 hours 20 minutes before the accident. The pilot had filed an IFR flight plan. One of the passengers was actress Sandra Bullock. The airplane was flying a full instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 18 at a high altitude airport (elevation 6,445 feet), in a mountainous area, at night. The control tower was closed for the night. The airport was located in a national park, and, therefore, the runway lights were not left on during the night. During non-tower operation hours, the procedure for turning on the runway lights called for the pilot to key the microphone multiple times on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF), which was the tower frequency. The copilot of the accident airplane made multiple attempts to turn on the runway lights using the UNICOM frequency, which had been the CTAF until about 6 months before the accident. The captain continued his landing approach below approach minimums without the runway lights being on. While in the landing flare, the captain reported that strong cross-winds and blowing snow created a “white-out” weather condition. The airplane touched down 195 feet left of the runway centerline in snow covered terrain between the runway and taxiway. Two ILS runway 18 approach plates were found in the airplane. One was out of date and showed the UNICOM frequency as the CTAF. The other was current and showed the tower frequency as the CTAF. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The pilot’s failure to follow IFR approach procedures and perform a missed approach when the runway was not in sight below approach minimums. Contributing factors were the copilot’s failure to follow current ILS approach procedures and use the correct frequency to turn on the runway lights, the snowy whiteout conditions near the ground, and the dark night light conditions.”

Primary Cause

The pilot’s failure to follow IFR approach procedures and perform a missed approach when the runway was not in sight below approach minimums, compounded by the copilot’s failure to follow current ILS approach procedures and use the correct frequency to turn on the runway lights, coupled with the snowy whiteout conditions and dark night light conditions.The pilot’s failure to follow IFR approach procedures and perform a missed approach when the runway was not in sight below approach minimums, compounded by the copilot’s failure to follow current ILS approach procedures and use the correct frequency to turn on the runway lights, coupled with the snowy whiteout conditions and dark night light conditions.

Share on:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *