Learjet 35 crash, Dec 24, 1996 (2 killed), Lebanon
Learjet 35 accident on December 24, 1996 near Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States with 2 fatalities. Cause: The captain lost situational awareness...
- Date: December 24, 1996
- Aircraft: Learjet 35
- Location: Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States
- Fatalities: 2
- Phase of flight: Approach and landing
- Cause: The captain lost situational awareness and flew outside the approach, and the crew misread a step-down fix, leading to an early descent into rising terrain. Rushed briefing, failure to use available navigation aids, and failure to allow for strong winds aloft were factors.
A Learjet 35A on a positioning flight from Bridgeport was flown on an ILS approach to Lebanon, but the crew lost track of their position and missed the approach. They then flew a VOR procedure with a wrong turn and an unauthorized descent, and hit rising mountainous terrain about 12 nautical miles from the VOR. Both pilots were killed.