Des Moines – South Bend – Detroit – Toronto

On January 19, 1979 at 07:34 PM, Des Moines – South Bend – Detroit – Toronto experienced a crash involving Learjet 25, operated by Massey Ferguson, with the event recorded near Detroit-Metropolitan-Wayne County Michigan.

The flight was categorized as executive/corporate/business and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

6 people were known to be on board, 6 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 2, crew fatalities: 2, passengers on board: 4, passenger fatalities: 4, other fatalities: 0.

The airplane crashed while landing on runway 09 at Detroit-Metropolitan-Wayne County Airport. The airplane was returning executives of Massey-Ferguson, Inc., to South Bend, Indiana, Detroit, Michigan, and Toronto, Canada, following a meeting at the company's headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa. During the descent, the aircraft flew in light to moderate, occasionally severe icing conditions. Shortly before the Learjet was to land, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 was cleared for takeoff. Witnesses saw the Learjet cross the threshold in a normal landing attitude and seconds later roll violently. The airplane was in a steep right bank when the wing tip tank struck the runway 2,440 feet from the threshold and the airplane burst into flames. The two pilots and four passengers were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration N137GL, MSN 25-237, year of manufacture 1978.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 42.2057°, -83.3530°.