View Full Version : Lear Jet Down near Chicago?
05 January 2010 20:20:12
A small lear jet has crashed near the City of Chicago in a forest reserve - CNN
Local News Report:
January 5, 2010 (WHEELING, Ill.) (WLS) -- A Lear jet crashed into a heavily wooded area of the forest preserve near Wheeling on Tuesday afternoon.
Emergency responders are on foot trying to get to the small plane, which crashed into about four feet of water in the forest preserve. Authorities from several neighboring communities-- Wheeling, Mount Prospect and others-- have sent crews to the scene of the crash.
Nearby businesses say ambulances and fire trucks have been streaming toward the site, located near Euclid Avenue.
The plane may be a cargo jet, according to published reports. Officials have not released the condition of the pilot.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the jet was in contact with Chicago Executive Airport, formerly known as Palwuakee Airport, when it lost communication and crashed.
(Copyright ©2010 WLS-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
Source: Small plane crashes near executive airport; Emergency crews race to small plane crash - 1/05/10 - Chicago News - abc7chicago.com (http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=7202290)
protectthehornet
5th Jan 2010, 21:33
wx not too bad...something like 2000 overcast, 10 miles...winds almost but not quite down the runway
loss of control? instrument failure entering IMC?
or pilots screwed up...maybe flap assymetry?
yikes
raffele
5th Jan 2010, 22:24
More info from Flightaware
FlightAware > Royal Air Freight Flight 988 crashes on approach to Chicago Executive (http://flightaware.com/news/article/Royal-Air-Freight-Flight-988-crashes-on-approach-to-Chicago-Executive/118)
protectthehornet
5th Jan 2010, 22:50
Just read that:
plane cleared for visual approach
type was Lear 35
No passengers, no freight on board
just the two pilots
(does this sound like a pinacle repeat?)
Say Again, Over!
5th Jan 2010, 23:34
Protectthehornet,
With respect: how the heck do you go from the info you have to comparing it to the Pinnacle accident? Because there were only two people on board? Because they had no freight?
My, oh my! This is waaaaay beyond even wild speculation!!!
:ugh::ugh:
pigboat
5th Jan 2010, 23:41
Don't know how accurate this is, but there was some erratic activity toward the end of the flight.
RAX 988 history. (http://flightaware.com/live/flight/RAX988/history/20100105/1841Z/KPTK/KPWK/tracklog)
p51guy
5th Jan 2010, 23:48
No. Nothing was the same. Lear 35's have enough power, especially in visual conditions, to fly out of any abnormal flight situation. Flew them a lot and they were great high performance aircraft. It was even better than the 757 which was phenomenal. No idea what happened but some day we will find out like all the previous accidents. Set your calendar.
protectthehornet
5th Jan 2010, 23:56
what I meant was:
the boys on pinnacle were fooling around...DUDE
and maybe the boys on the learjet might have been too...DUDE
ps...dude is a reference to one of the phrases used on the CVR of pinnacle (unless I've confused it with something else)
nothing to do with the power or the engines...just emply planes are fodder for fooling around by the crew.
421dog
6th Jan 2010, 00:21
PWK is right north of ORD. The usual crappy weather approach is ILS 16 circle to land 34, with the restriction to remain within a mile or so of the 34 threshold .
If you get much south of that, especially at the jet pattern altitude of 1500', the guys at ORD get very pissy. It's easy to get a down there in a hurry and then start cranking hard to stay out of the inner ring of the ORD Bravo.
I probably go in there twice a month, and while I've never busted the clearance, there but for the grace of God...
Farrell
6th Jan 2010, 09:10
"wx not too bad...something like 2000 overcast, 10 miles...winds almost but not quite down the runway
loss of control? instrument failure entering IMC?
or pilots screwed up...maybe flap assymetry?
yikes"
:ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh::ugh:
Hey just to many if's and but's here , lets wait for an official report
RIP to the crew.
While we're a long way from knowing what happened, I think 421dog may be onto something. I've flown that circling approach in a light jet and it was a handful to keep it in as close as the controllers at ORD were demanding. If this was an older series LR35 without the upgraded softflite wing, it can quickly go from flying to not flying with a small loss of airspeed or an increase in wing loading that can be induced when trying to tighten a turn.
Capn Bloggs
6th Jan 2010, 13:09
with the restriction to remain within a mile or so of the 34 threshold .
In a jet? You're joking, aren't you?
421dog
6th Jan 2010, 13:57
No, unfortunately I'm not.
What generally happens is that traffic is asked if they are willing to cancel IFR and do the "visual circle to land 34".
Realistically, this is pretty doable if you know what's coming. (and if I remember correctly, the circling approach radius for a category C aircraft is something under 2 miles)
I've never seen what happens if someone refused to cancel when these ops were going on, but it probably involves an EFC late next week...:O
BartBandy
6th Jan 2010, 20:47
Does anyone else find the track log rather odd?
gets pretty wild towards the end. Or so it looks.
track log (http://flightaware.com/live/flight/RAX988/history/20100105/1841Z/KPTK/KPWK/tracklog)
jetopa
7th Jan 2010, 07:21
LJ35s are generally good airplanes, but they become sort of unforgiving when getting behind the power curve or slowing down too much with too much drag generated by flaps and landing gear. See also: accident of LJ35 in Lyon/F. (with F1 driver D. Coulthard on board) or the Italian-registered LJ in Nürnberg/D someyears ago.
Whatever happened, it will be found out for sure and probably will be a warning for everyone, that this airplane is to be treated with some respect (all airplanes do, actually).
Sad for the 2 drivers and their families and friends. There is nothing that can comfort them at this time.