The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Denver, Colorado
Wing Aviation Group; Florida
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas
Honeywell; Phoenix, Arizona
Roper Aviation LLC
Location: Aspen, Colorado
Accident Number: CEN22LA130
Date and Time: February 21, 2022, 11:33 Local
Registration: N99AP
Aircraft: RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT COMPANY HAWKER 800XP
Injuries: 6 None
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Business
On February 21, 2022, at 1133 mountain daylight time, a Raytheon Aircraft Company Hawker 800XP airplane, N99AP, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Aspen, Colorado. The two pilots and four passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 business flight.
According to the captain’s statement, before departure, the airplane and runway were clear of any contaminants, all pre-takeoff checks were normal, and the flaps were set to 15°. During the takeoff clearance for runway 33, the air traffic control tower reported the wind was from 160° at 16 knots, gusting to 25 knots, and the instantaneous wind was from 180° at 10 knots. The captain performed a static takeoff, and the first officer made all of the callouts; airspeed alive, 80 knots, V1, and rotate. At rotation speed, the captain applied back pressure on the yoke; however, the airplane would not become airborne. The captain reported, “the yoke did not have any air resistance or any pressure on it as we experience normally in Hawkers (the weight and pressure on the yoke felt the same as though the airplane was stationary on [the] ground).” After a few seconds and without any indication the airplane would take off, the captain aborted the takeoff.
The captain reduced the engines to idle, deployed the thrust reversers, and applied the brakes. The airplane subsequently departed the end of the runway into the snow. The captain secured the airplane and assisted in the evacuation of the passengers.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: RAYTHEON AIRCRAFT COMPANY
Registration: N99AP
Model/Series: HAWKER 800XP
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator:
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KASE,7720 ft msl
Observation Time: 11:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 1°C /-9°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 3600 ft AGL
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 16 knots / 25 knots, 160°
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 6000 ft AGL
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.61 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR
Departure Point: Aspen, CO
Destination: Austin, TX (AUS)
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 2 None
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 4 None
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 6 None
Latitude, Longitude: 39.232582,-106.87346 (est)
The pilot of a departing private jet that crashed off the end of the Aspen-Pitkin County airport runway last month told federal investigators the plane “would not become airborne” before he aborted the takeoff.
That’s according to a National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report, which also says the runway was clear February 21, pre-flight checks on the Hawker 800XP jet were normal and the wind was at 16 knots gusting to 25 knots.
“At rotation speed, the captain applied back pressure on the yoke; however the airplane would not become airborne,” according to the report. “The captain reported, ‘the yoke did not have any air resistance or any pressure on it as we experience normally in Hawkers (the weight and pressure on the yoke felt the same as though the airplane was stationary on [the] ground).’”
“Rotation speed” is the flight computer’s calculation of the speed necessary to lift off, said Dan Bartholomew, Aspen-Pitkin County airport director. The yoke is the control column or wheel used to pilot an aircraft.
“After a few seconds and without any indication the airplane would take off, the captain aborted the takeoff,” according to the NTSB report. “The captain reduced the engines, deployed the thrust reversers and applied the brakes. The airplane subsequently departed the end of the runway into the snow. The captain secured the airplane and assisted in the evacuation of the passengers.”
The four passengers and two pilots onboard the plane, which was traveling from Aspen to Austin, Texas, about 11:30 a.m., were not injured. The plane, however, sustained significant damage and required a crane to be extracted from the snow bank.
Bartholomew said the preliminary report doesn’t necessarily indicate mechanical failure and that other factors, such as a wind gust, might have played a role in the incident.
“That report doesn’t get into the cause,” he said. “It’s just the facts at this point. It’s hard to say (what caused the crash). Anything’s open right now.”
The NTSB’s final report on the incident can take months to be released.
The incident closed the Aspen-Pitkin County airport for nearly nine hours on Presidents Day, a busy travel day.
