Lockheed L-1329 JetStar

Charles L. Joekel

After landing on runway 13R, directional control was lost and the aircraft veered off runway to the right. While contacting soft ground, the nose gear collapsed and the aircraft came to rest. All three occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Banair

During the landing roll, the nose gear settled onto the runway, and the aircraft veered hard to the right. Application of the left brake had no effect. The airplane skidded, exited the runway, struck a runway marker, and collapsed the nose landing gear. The steering actuator had failed, the hydraulic fluid was lost from the steering actuator, and the fuselage received structural damage. The steering actuator assembly, p/n 1501-4, had accumulated 5,938.0 hours since new and had not been repaired or overhauled. Examination of the nose gear steering actuator cylinder by the metallurgist revealed that the cylinder fracture was the result of fatigue cracking initiated by an abrupt machining transition from the 45 degree thread ring chamfer to the straight wall of the cylinder. The engineering drawings appear to depict the radius at the fatigue origin as a continuation of the 0.03 inch to 0.06 inch radius adjacent to the fracture. However, the drawing is not clear on the specific intent of the transition between the nearby radius and the internal threads for the nut.

Transportes Aéreos Ejecutivos - TAESA

On approach to Guadalajara-Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Airport, the crew contacted ATC and reported that all hydraulic systems failed. After being able to lower the undercarriage manually, the crew continued the approach but landed on runway 10 in a flapless configuration. Because the brakes and the thrust reversers were unserviceable, the crew was unable to stop the aircraft within the remaining distance. The aircraft overran, struck a drainage ditch and came to rest 300 metres past the runway end. All occupants were rescued, among them five were slightly injured.

Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force

The aircraft was completing a flight from Kish Island to Tehran with an intermediate stop in Isfahan. Shortly after takeoff from Isfahan-Shahid Beheshti Airport, while climbing to the altitude of 2,000 feet, the crew reported pressurisation problems and was cleared to return for an emergency landing. Five minutes after its departure, the aircraft went out of control and crashed few km from the airport. All 12 occupants were killed, among them General Mansour Sattari, Chief of the Iranian Air Force.

Aerospace Finance Leasing

Completing a flight from Istanbul to Southampton, the aircraft flew a procedural ILS and landed on runway 20. The crew report that they encountered wind shear on the final approach and they increased power to compensate for a loss of 10 knot of airspeed. The aircraft landed some 500 feet into the runway and, after touchdown, maximum braking appeared to be ineffective. The crew suspected aquaplaning and activated reversed thrust but they report that correct deployment was not indicated on the flight deck and so they assumed that it was not operating. Despite weaving along the remaining 1,500 feet of runway they were unable to prevent the aircraft from over running the end. The aircraft came to rest some 75 metres into the grass area beyond. Debris, consisting of earth and stones was ingested by the engines and the right wing tank was punctured. An inspection of the runway 10 minutes previously showed that, although the runway was wet, there was no standing water. A runway friction test was carried out at 1646 hrs and this gave the friction on the first, second and third runway segments as 0.67 Mu, 0.66 Mu and 0.57 Mu respectively.

Greco Air

Flight was a 3-engine ferry with the #4 engine shut down. During takeoff roll at V1 the #2 engine overheat light came on. According to the copilot the pilot reduced throttle slightly and continued the takeoff. After lift-off the pilot aborted the takeoff. The airplane could not be stopped on the remaining runway and collided with antennas, approach lights and a construction site 1,180 feet from the departure end of the runway. Postcrash exam of the 3 operating engines did not reveal any evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction. A failed resistor was found in the #2 engine electronic engine control (eec). This would cause the unit to over-schedule fuel to the engine resulting in hotter engine operating temperatures. Retarding the throttle would reduce fuel flow to within normal ranges for engine operation. Under conditions that existed at the time of the accident, the airplane would have a 3-engine rate-of-climb of 1,398 fpm, and a 2-engome rate-of-climb of 350 fpm. The captain was killed while the copilot was seriously injured.

Libyan Government

The crew was completing a positioning flight from Mitiga to Algiers. After takeoff from Mitiga Airport, while climbing to an altitude of 7,000 feet, the airplane disappeared from radar screens and the contact with ATC was interrupted. SAR operations were initiated but eventually abandoned after eight days as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. It is believed that the aircraft crashed in the Mediterranean Sea and lost without trace.

Alco Aviation

The aircraft made a surveillance radar approach (SRA) to the Luton runway 08 at night, in conditions of low cloud and poor visibility and landed well past the touchdown zone. It then overran the end of the runway, became airborne over a 10 metre deep escarpment, struck the ground and caught fire. The seven passengers escaped from the aircraft through a hole in the fuselage and the commander exited through his direct vision (DV) window; all of them sustained relatively minor injuries. The co-pilot received severe spinal injuries and was unable to vacate the cockpit without the assistance of the rescue services. The external and cabin fires were extinguished by the aerodrome fire service who were then delayed in entering the cabin by the concentration of smoke and the lack of breathing apparatus.

Texasgulf Aviation

About 1840 e.s.t., on February 11, 1981, a Lockheed JetStar L-1329-731, N520S, crashed during an instrument landing system approach to runway 16 at the Westchester County Airport, White Plains, New York. The area weather was dominated by low obscured ceilings, rain, fog, and reduced visibility. Winds were strong and gusty with moderate to severe turbulence in the lower levels. Following a recent modification of the generator control. circuitry, the aircraft's electrical system had experienced several multiple generator failures.

International Air Service

During the takeoff roll at Chicago-Midway Airport runway 13R, the nose gear lifted off twice but the airplane failed to takeoff. Decision to abandon the takeoff procedure was taken too late. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, the airplane overran at a speed of about 60-80 knots, crossed a perimeter road, went through a fence, struck an ILS antenna and came to rest in flames against concrete blocks. The aircraft was totally destroyed and all four occupants were killed.

Fluor Corp.

The crew started the approach to Saranac Lake-Adirondack Airport by night and encountered poor visibility due to fog and snow showers. Unable to locate the runway, the captain decided to abandon the approach and initiated a go-around. Few minutes later, a second attempt to land was also abandoned for similar reasons. During a third attempt, the airplane passed below the MDA and once at an altitude of 2,140 feet, it struck trees and crashed in a wooded area located about 2 miles short of runway threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all three crew members were killed.

German Air Force - Deutsche Luftwaffe

The JetStar was executing a visual approach to Bremen following an IFR ferry flight from Cologne Airport (CGN). At the same time a Piaggio P.149D trainer aircraft of the Lufthansa Flying School took off from Bremen. The student pilot was flying under the 'hood' in order to simulate an IFR training mission. The JetStar collided head on with a Piaggio P.149D. The Piaggio crashed but the JetStar managed to carry out an emergency landing at Bremen. The JetStar had suffered substantial damage to the underside of the flight deck. The undercarriage could not be deployed and one of the engines had lost power. A belly landing was carried out on the grass next to the runway.

United States Air Force - USAF

On final approach to Robins AFB, the four engine aircraft went out of control and crashed in flames short of runway 32 threshold. One occupant survived while five others were killed.