Incident Overview

Date: Wednesday 23 March 2011
Aircraft Type: Dassault Falcon 100
Owner/operator: Aviation Transport Solutions LLC
Registration Number: N303FZ
Location: Jeffersonville-Clark Regional Airport, IN (JVY) – ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Substantial, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Component Affected: Right main landing gear, forward pressure bulkheadRight main landing gear, forward pressure bulkhead
Investigating Agency: NTSBNTSB
Category: Accident
A Falcon 10 business jet experienced a significant landing incident at Clark Regional Airport (KJVY) due to challenging weather conditions. The pilot, first officer, and sole passenger were unharmed. The captain, piloting the aircraft, was the pilot during the flight. Following departure, the flight was impacted by severe thunderstorms that disrupted the planned route. The flight crew initiated a visual flight rules (VFR) landing, reducing the instrument flight plan (IFP) and concluding the flight under visual flight rules. The captain reported a wind of 310 degrees at 19 knots with a gust of 27 knots, impacting the approach. The pilot established a landing reference speed of 110 knots, including a 5-knot gust factor. Upon touchdown, the aircraft encountered a wind gust that raised the left wing, prompting the captain to perform a left roll and reduce pitch to place the nose wheel onto the runway. The airplane drifted off the runway, and it subsequently landed for a second time in the grassy area alongside the runway. An airframe inspection revealed damage to the right main landing gear, including a shift and twisting within the wheel well, and damage to the forward pressure bulkhead. Foreign object debris was detected past the compressor stages of both engines. The probable cause was the pilot’s failure to maintain control of the aircraft during landing in strong and gusty wind conditions.A Falcon 10 business jet experienced a significant landing incident at Clark Regional Airport (KJVY) due to challenging weather conditions. The pilot, first officer, and sole passenger were unharmed. The captain, piloting the aircraft, was the pilot during the flight. Following departure, the flight was impacted by severe thunderstorms that disrupted the planned route. The flight crew initiated a visual flight rules (VFR) landing, reducing the instrument flight plan (IFP) and concluding the flight under visual flight rules. The captain reported a wind of 310 degrees at 19 knots with a gust of 27 knots, impacting the approach. The pilot established a landing reference speed of 110 knots, including a 5-knot gust factor. Upon touchdown, the aircraft encountered a wind gust that raised the left wing, prompting the captain to perform a left roll and reduce pitch to place the nose wheel onto the runway. The airplane drifted off the runway, and it subsequently landed for a second time in the grassy area alongside the runway. An airframe inspection revealed damage to the right main landing gear, including a shift and twisting within the wheel well, and damage to the forward pressure bulkhead. Foreign object debris was detected past the compressor stages of both engines. The probable cause was the pilot’s failure to maintain control of the aircraft during landing in strong and gusty wind conditions.

Description

A Falcon 10 business jet, N303FZ, was substantially damaged when it departed the runway during landing at Clark Regional Airport (KJVY), Indiana. The captain, first officer, and sole passenger were not injured. The captain was the pilot-flying during the accident flight. After departure, the flight had to circumnavigate around numerous thunderstorms that affected the planned route of flight. When the flight was within 25 nautical miles (nm) of its intended destination, the flight crew cancelled the instrument flight plan and concluded the flight under visual flight rules. The captain noted the wind was from 310 degrees at 19 knots, gusting 27 knots. A 5 nm straight-in final approach was flown to runway 36 (5,500 feet by 100 feet). The captain reported that the landing reference speed (Vref) was 110 knots, which included a 5 knot gust factor. As the airplane touched down on its main landing gear, it encountered a wind gust that raised the left wing. The captain corrected with a left roll input as he simultaneously reduced the airplane’s pitch in an attempt to place the nose wheel onto the runway, but the airplane became airborne and drifted off the runway. The airplane touched down for the second time in the grassy area alongside the runway where the subsequent landing roll was completed without further incident. The captain reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. A postaccident examination of the airframe revealed that the right main landing gear had shifted/twisted inside the wheel well damaging both forward and aft spar assemblies. Additionally, the aft movement of the nose landing gear had damaged the forward pressure bulkhead. Both engines appeared to have ingested foreign object debris past their first compressor stages. PROBABLE CAUSE: The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing in strong and gusty wind conditions.

Primary Cause

Pilot’s failure to maintain control of the aircraft during landing in strong and gusty wind conditions.Pilot’s failure to maintain control of the aircraft during landing in strong and gusty wind conditions.

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