Learjet 24

The crew departed Santa Ana in the early morning to follow a training program at Lancaster-General William J. Fox Airport. He was completing several touch-and-goes when control was lost during initial climb. The airplane swerved on runway and eventually crashed. The copilot was seriously injured while the captain was killed.

Shortly after takeoff from Palm Springs Airport, while climbing by night at an altitude of 9,700 feet, the airplane struck a mountain located in the San Gorgonio Wilderness of the San Bernardino Mountains, about 22 miles northwest of Palm Springs. Due to very poor weather conditions, rescuers were able to reach the crash site three days later only. The aircraft struck the ground at a speed of 325 knots and disintegrated on impact. All four occupants were killed.
Crew:
Donald J. Weier,
Jerald Wayne Foley.
Passengers:
Dolly Sinatra, Frank Sinatra's mother,
Ann Carbone.

On approach to Mexico City-Benito Juarez Airport, the airplane struck a hill and crashed few km from the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed and all four occupants were killed.

After takeoff from Bari-Palese Airport, while climbing, the airplane collided with gulls. Some of them were ingested by engine which lost power. The airplane lost height and crashed in an open field. Both pilots were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

During a final approach completed in limited visibility due to low clouds and fog, the crew failed to realize that his altitude was too low when the airplane struck the ground and crashed 914 metres short of runway threshold. Both pilots and four passengers were killed while two other passengers were seriously injured.

On final approach to Wilhelmshaven-Mariensiel Airport, the crew was completing a last turn at an altitude of about 600 feet when the airplane struck tree tops located 600 meters short of runway threshold. The airplane lost height and crashed in flames 100 meters short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire and all four occupants were killed.

While approaching Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport, the captain decided to abandon the landing and initiated a go-around manoeuvre after he has been informed about the fact that the runway was wet. He followed a holding circuit for about 30 minutes then started an approach to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Airport when the airplane struck power cables and crashed few km from the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed and all three occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the visibility was limited due to low clouds.

A Gates Learjet 24, N454RN, operated as a corporate flight by Machinery Buyers Corp., crashed following takeoff from runway 20L at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport, Atlanta, Georgia. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire. The two crewmembers and five passengers were fatally injured and one person on the ground sustained serious burns. An apartment building was damaged, three parked vehicles were destroyed, and another vehicle was damaged by impact and fire. The pilot had filed an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan from Atlanta, Georgia, to Miami, Florida, with a proposed departure time of 09:50 and an en route altitude of Flight Level 410. The flight was cleared for takeoff from runway 20L at 10:10. The weather at the time of the accident was overcast, with ceiling 500 feet, visibility 4 miles in fog and smoke, wind 060° at 4 knots, altimeter setting 30.20 inches. Ground witnesses stated that the airplane had made a normal take-off, but was trailing blue-white or blue-gray smoke when it crossed the airport boundary. The following conversation with the flight was recorded by the airport control tower:
Tower - "Lear 454RN it appeared the left engine laid a pretty good layer of smoke out of the left side there for approximately 300 or 400 feet."
454RN - "We just hit some birds."
Tower - "Roger, you turning to land?"
454RN - "Don't believe we're gonna make it." (Last transmission by the crew.
The aircraft climbed to a height about 250 to 300 feet above the ground before it started to settle in a nose-high attitude. The airplane collided initially with the roof of a three-story apartment building, approximately 2 miles south-southwest of the airport. The wreckage came to rest in a wooded ravine adjacent to a busy highway, 165 feet southwest of the damaged building. The airplane's takeoff path was over a residential area which contained numerous apartment complexes, shopping centers, and busy thoroughfares. A suitable emergency landing site was not available. The airplane's windshield and center post contained bird residue and bird feathers. After the accident, the remains of 15 cowbirds were found within 150 feet of the departure end of runway 20L. Both engines showed distortion and foreign object damage to the compressor rotor assemblies. Foreign material obstructed approximately 75 percent of the cooling air ports of the first-stage turbine nozzles.

Following an uneventful flight from Saint Joseph, Missouri, the crew started the descent to Detroit-Willow Run Airport. After a wrong approach configuration, the crew misjudged distance and speed during the last segment, causing the aircraft to land too far down the runway. After touchdown, the airplane was unable to stop within the remaining distance and the captain decided to initiate a go-around manoeuvre but this was too late. The airplane overran, struck the localizer antenna then crashed on the ILS building. Both pilots were killed while the passenger was seriously injured.

The descent to Butte Airport was started in poor weather conditions a zero visibility due to fog. While descending to an altitude of 6,060 feet, the airplane struck trees and crashed on the slope of a mountain located few miles from the airfield. The wreckage was found two days later and all four occupants have been killed. At the time of the accident, the airplane was flying at an insufficient altitude of 6,060 feet while the minimum safe altitude was about 8,000 feet.