Learjet 35 - Notable Accidents and Incidents

Notable Accidents and Incidents

• On 7 June 1982, Argentine Air Force Learjet 35A serial T-24 was shot down by Sea Dart surface to air missile fired by HMS Exeter during the Falklands War killing all 5 on board.

• On 13 February 1983, a Learjet 35A carrying Sri Lankan business tycoon Upali Wijewardene disappeared (exploded) over the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia). The wreckage has never been found, nor any trace of Wijewardene, his top executives, or crew.

• On 15 May 1984, a government-owned Learjet 35A crashed in the sea close to Ushuaia, Argentina during a snowstorm. All 12 people on board were killed.

• On 17 April 1995, a C-21 crashed into a wooded area near Alexander City, Alabama killing the two pilots and six passengers, including Clark G. Fiester, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, and Major General Glenn A Profitt II.

• The 1996 New Hampshire Learjet crash on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1996, in which a Learjet 35A crashed in New Hampshire, leading to the longest missing aircraft search in that state's history, lasting almost three years, and eventually resulted in Congressional legislation mandating improved emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) be installed in U.S.-registered business jets.

• On 29 August 1999, a U.S. registered Learjet 35A owned by Corporate Jets, Inc., was shot down near Adwa, Ethiopia, while flying from Luxor, Egypt, to Nairobi, Kenya, with the loss of three persons.

• On 25 October 1999, professional golfer Payne Stewart was killed in the crash of a Learjet 35. The plane apparently suffered a loss of cabin pressure at some point early in the flight. All on board are thought to have died of hypoxia, lack of oxygen. The plane, apparently still on autopilot, continued flying until one engine flamed out, most likely due to fuel starvation crashed near Aberdeen, South Dakota after an uncontrolled descent. The exact cause of the pressurization failure and the reason behind the crew's failure or inability to respond to it has not been definitively determined.

• On 2 May 2000, F1 racing driver David Coulthard survived a Learjet 35 crash. His chartered aircraft was traveling from Farnborough Airfield to Côte d'Azur International Airport when it developed engine trouble, and crashed while making an emergency landing at Saint-Exupéry International Airport near Lyon, France. While Coulthard received only minor injuries, the front of the aircraft disintegrated upon impact, killing both pilots.

• On 9 March 2006 Argentine Air Force Learjet 35A serial T-21 struck terrain and broke up shortly after takeoff from El Alto International Airport in La Paz, Bolivia killing all 6 on board. The Learjet was sent to Bolivia to deliver humanitarian aid.

• On 4 November 2007, a Learjet 35A crashed in São Paulo, Brazil, after a failed takeoff attempt. It destroyed a house in a residential area near the Campo de Marte Airport, killing the pilot, co-pilot and 6 people of the same family who were in the house.

• On 5 January 2010 a Learjet 35A, registered to Royal Air Freight Inc. of Waterford, Michigan, crashed into the Des Plaines River on final approach to Chicago Executive Airport near Wheeling, IL, killing both pilot and co-pilot.