Summary
- A tire burst led to an aborted take-off; the captain was inexperienced on the aircraft and violated procedure.
- The tires punctured and were underinflated; debris damaged the hydraulic system, causing the brakes to fail.
- The thrust reverser system design flaw, maintenance error, and inadequate inspections contributed to the fatal Learjet 60 crash.
It was September 19, 2008, when the accident occurred, just before midnight. The Learjet 60 with registration N999LJ operated by Global Exec Aviation was due to take off from Columbia Metropolitan Airport, South Carolina. The aircraft was heading to Van Nuys Airport, California. The aircraft was relatively new, having first flown in 2006 and had a light load with just four passengers.
Who was on board?
That night, musician Travis Barker (drummer with Blink-182) and DJ Adam ‘DJ AM’ Goldstein had been performing in Columbia and were flying with their entourage, Charles Monroe Still Jr and Chris Baker. The captain of the Learjet 60 was Sarah Lemmon and the first officer was James Bland. They had both joined Global Exec Aviation, that year.
- Captain: 3,140 flight hours, 35 hours on the Learjet 60, 8 hours as captain on the type.
- First officer: 8,200 flight hours, 300 on the Learjet 60.
What happened?
It was 23:53 when the Learjet 60 lined up ready for take-off on runway 11. The aircraft accelerated and the take-off roll seemed normal. Suddenly there was a loud bang and the aircraft swayed from side to side, almost as if it was ‘out of control’. Air traffic controllers on the ground saw sparks coming from the aircraft. The captain thought it was a tire failure and aborted the take-off. The first officer notified the controllers that emergency equipment should be sent and that they would be off the end of the runway.
Deadly impact The Learjet overran the 2,622-meter runway and hit navigational aids, lighting and concrete posts. The aircraft crashed through the airport boundary fence, before crossing the 2860 Edmund Highway and finally hitting an embankment where on impact it burst into flames. Barker’s young daughter had told him not to fly that day and became very upset when he left home. He also had a long-term fear of flying. Firefighters fought the fire for an hour until it was under control.
Passengers Still Jr and Baker died on impact and the flight crew died of smoke inhalation and burns within minutes of the accident. Goldstein was asleep at the time and woke to find Barker screaming at him. Barker jumped out of the aircraft after trying to unsuccessfully reach the front of the aircraft to find the pilots or his colleagues and slid off the wing. Goldstein followed him and immediately dropped to the ground and rolled as he was on fire.
Photo: NTSB
Trying to survive
Barker was covered in jet fuel and caught fire when leaving the aircraft. He ran away trying to remove his clothing. Someone shouted to him “Stop, drop and roll” which he did immediately to put out the flames. He told first responders that there were four people inside the Learjet 60, but the fiery impact had already taken its victims.
The two survivors both had second and third-degree burns. Goldstein left the hospital after a week but was prescribed painkillers and antianxiety medication for his fear of flying. He died the following year of a hard drugs overdose, exacerbated by the accident. Barker had 65% of his body affected by burns. He spent 11 weeks in hospital and 26 skin graft surgeries and blood transfusions. He developed post-traumatic stress disorder and did not fly again until 2021, 13 years after the accident.
Cause of the accident and contributing factors
The accident was primarily caused by the poorly maintained tires that burst on take-off and then the captain’s decision to abort the take-off after V1. The tires were found to be severely underinflated and were punctured during take-off. The company estimated that the tires had been checked three weeks prior. Later, the FAA would issue a directive saying that tire pressure on the Learjet 60 and 60XR, should be checked every four days. Debris from the tires then damaged the aircraft’s hydraulic system, which caused the brakes to fail.
At the time, the Learjet 60 was traveling at 144 knots (267 km/h) when take-off was aborted. The procedure for the aircraft was that take-off should not be aborted above V1 (go or no-go decision) and after 136 knots (252 km/h). The captain was inexperienced on the aircraft and had violated the procedure and on the CVR, the first officer had said ‘Go, go, go!’ Lack of CRM between the crew and inadequate training in tire failure situations was also indicated.
Contributing to the accident was that the engines still had full power, although reverse thrust had been applied. The aircraft’s air and ground sensor had been damaged and went into air mode. Investigators also found a design fault in the thrust reverser system that increased the severity of the accident. This apportioned blame to both Learjet and the FAA for certifying the aircraft.
The NTSB report also said that the company’s tire pressure inspections were inadequate. Maintenance error and pilot error ultimately caused the accident. Numerous lawsuits followed the accident and were mostly settled out of court.
