Falcon 50 - Catalina island?

[BeachAV8R]

I'm just looking for a true/false on a story I heard: Does anyone know if the Falcon 50 landed at KAVX (Catalina Island). With 3,000' of runway, I'd guess it is within the realm of possibility performance-wise, but I was wondering if they actually did it. My Google-foo is not working out for me and I've only caught a whiff that the Wrigley Falcon 50 used to go in there.

If anyone knows the thumbs up or thumbs down on this story..I'd be interested to know.

Regards,
BeachAV8R

[FLEXJET]

http://www.beechtalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2355

I witnessed once a 50EX landing on a 4600' runway, then vacating on the mid-length taxiway. Amazing.

[Newforest2]

Topic: RE: 767 To Catalina Island?
Username: Highflier92660
Posted 2008-10-28 11:27:09 and read 2894 times.Perish the thought; runway 4/22 is only 3,000 feet long. AirNav: KAVX - Catalina Airport (http://www.airnav.com/airport/KAVX)

A Mooney 201 just went off the end of that table top airport last week with three fatalities. Historically the only pure turbine traffic going into Catalina with any regularity were the usual straight wing Citations and the Wrigley Falcon 10.
Topic: RE: 767 To Catalina Island?
Username: FX1816
Posted 2008-10-28 12:44:53 and read 2797 times.

Also confirmed by Airliners.net.

[Spooky 2]

There is an occasional F50 in and out of Dutch Harbor. 4500' and usually wet.

I have touched down on Catalina in a L188 Electra, but it was nothing more that a touch and go and I was not at the controls. Long time ago.....

[Mizuno boy]

Based out of 4000 ft. sea level runway for 17 years, Falcon 50, 900 7X, no issues until contaminated. Falcon 50 on 3,000 feet for landing no problem. Out of Catalina with 4500-5000 lbs of fuel back to LA with no contamination not a problem.

Cheers
MB

[BeachAV8R]

Thanks Flexjet - that was the thread I actually got the "Wrigley Falcon 50" source from, but couldn't (can't) really find any corroborating stories other than what that guys said in that thread. It sounded like they regularly took it out there, so thought some people might have actually seen it on the ramp there.

NewForest's link adds a bit more mystery because it mentions a Falcon 10 - so it sounds like they might have taken a Falcon in to KAVX, just wondering what type. Having watched quite a few Falcon 50, 50EX, and 7X videos last night..it isn't hard to imagine it happening since they have such awesome performance.

An Electra touch and go at Catalina would certainly stay in the memory banks..<g> Nice..

Mizuno boy - Thanks for the confirmation that the numbers work. So at least it's possible according to the AFM. I'm just amazed (in this day and age) that there isn't a picture or story on the internet..<g> Usually my research isn't this hard..

Thanks for the comments guys...

Edit - I shot off a query to the Catalina Aero Club contact - if anyone would know, they would...

BeachAV8R

[gbruton]

Is there a time frame from when this supposedly used to happen?

I fly over to Catalina a few times a month for camping/hiking and I have never heard any stories of a Falcon 50 much less any other jet going in.
Yes, the 3000ft make it possible for some jets I assume ( I posted a thread about a Gulfstream landing in Oceanside also 3,000 ft) but the quality of the runway is very bad. Lot's of pot holes and bumps with easy potential to take in some FOD for a jet.
I have see some larger twins like a KingAir 90 parked but that is all. I know three was a owner who has a KingAir 350 wanting to go over and the pilots said no.

[westhawk]

Back in the '90s I used fly into AVX quite often as I required all of my students to have that experience. (Santa Paula and Big Bear too) The hallway between the cafe and the restrooms in the terminal building was lined with interesting photos. One of those framed pictures depicted the Wrigley family DA-50 parked on the ramp. I first saw that photo on my first visit as a private pilot in about 1985.

Before signing the Island over to the Catalina Conservancy (present owners) the Wrigley (of chewing gum fame) jet is reputed in local aviation lore to have been seen there many times. I never saw the 50 myself, but I have seen allot of wrecked airplanes out there! A friend took me along in a Bushmaster 2000 (tri-motor) once. Next to the DC-3, that's the largest airplane I've seen there.

One time a Lear went off the end of 22 and burned on the slope below. The burn scar was visible for a few years. There have been quite a number of light aircraft end up in the fence and a number of fatal landing accidents. Most of them apparently related to the visual illusion created by the "humpback" nature of the runway surface and cliffs below the runway ends. There was also a guy who flew the VOR approach right into the VOR station a mile SE of the airport on a hilltop.

There's one particular table on the patio where the view of the approaches to 22 are ideal. Now that's entertainment! The vast majority of "interesting" approaches don't end in a crash.

westhawk

[CL300]

been there in november 1990 in a C501 :-)

[givdrvr]

NTSB Identification: CHI85LA194 .
The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 28226.
Accident occurred Sunday, May 12, 1985 in LAKE GENEVA, WI
Aircraft: DASSAULT-BREGUET FALCON 50, registration: N1181G
Injuries: 6 Uninjured.

HIGH SINK RATE DEVELOPED ON SHORT FINAL. ACFT TOUCHED DOWN 13 FT PRIOR TO RUNWAY BEFORE SINK RATE COULD BE ARRESTED. LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AFTER CONTACTING EDGE OF RWY WHICH IS 7 INCHES HIGHER THAN SURROUNDING TERRAIN. TAIL SECTION OF ACFT CAUGHT FIRE JUST PRIOR TO COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP 2900 FT DOWN THE RWY. PILOTS WHO FREQUENTLY FLY IN AND OUT OF THE ARPT STATED, WIND SHIFTS NEAR THE RWY ARE COMMON IN GUSTY CONDITIONS BECAUSE OF HILLY TERRAIN.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
JUDGMENT..POOR..PILOT IN COMMAND
PROPER DESCENT RATE..UNCONTROLLED..PILOT IN COMMAND

[FLEXJET]

They bought another 50 which carried N410WW and later 411WW until 1997. I was parked next to it once in Colmar, France in the 90s.

[BeachAV8R]

Thanks for batting this around guys. There seems to be enough circumstantial evidence to lead me to believe that indeed the Falcon 50 made some appearances out there (a photo on a wall out there is pretty good gouge!). My guess is that it was decades ago, and perhaps the runway surface was a bit better than recent conditions.

Westhawk - I did read the accident report about that Lear. Apparently it was out on a demo ride and the pax asked for a spur of the moment stop at Catalina and, well, it didn't quite work out. Tragic...and horrible based on the reports of the passengers surviving, but the airport fire/rescue at that time wasn't trained to deal with that kind of accident apparently and they wouldn't approach the plane to extinguish the flames for fear of an explosion. Just all around a sad story...

Regards,
BeachAV8R