Atlantic City - Groton

On June 2, 2006 at 02:40 PM, Atlantic City - Groton experienced a crash involving Learjet 35, operated by International Jet Charter, with the event recorded near Groton Connecticut.

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a lake, sea, ocean, river crash site.

5 people were known to be on board, 2 fatalities were recorded, 3 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 40.0%.

Crew on board: 2, crew fatalities: 2, passengers on board: 3, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The crew briefed the Instrument Landing System approach, including the missed approach procedures. Weather at the time included a 100-foot broken cloud layer, and at the airport, 2 miles visibility. The approach was flown over water, and at the accident location, there was dense fog. Two smaller airplanes had successfully completed the approach prior to the accident airplane. The captain flew the approach and the first officer made 100-foot callouts during the final descent, until 200 feet above the decision height. At that point, the captain asked the first officer if he saw anything. The first officer reported "ground contact," then noted "decision height." The captain immediately reported "I got the lights" which the first officer confirmed. The captain reduced the power to flight idle. Approximately 4 seconds later, the captain attempted to increase power. However, the engines did not have time to respond before the airplane descended into the water and impacted a series of approach light stanchions, commencing about 2,000 feet from the runway. Neither crew member continued to call out altitudes after seeing the approach lights, and the captain descended the airplane below the decision height before having the requisite descent criteria. The absence of ground references could have been conducive to a featureless terrain illusion in which the captain would have believed that the airplane was at a higher altitude than it actually was. There were no mechanical anomalies which would have precluded normal airplane operation.

Aircraft reference details include registration N182K, MSN 35-293, year of manufacture 1980.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 41.3701°, -72.0017°.