Lear 36 Down in Ocean off San Diego - Three SOB, All Missing - May 10, 2023

[DropTank]

'Smoke or gas' detected in cockpit of contractor Learjet just before deadly crash into ocean

A trailing aircraft saw the accident aircraft's flaps partially deploy at 15,000 feet. Moments later, they saw an unidentified fluid trailing the plane - and then fire.

www.globalair.com

oh that suuuuuucks.

Smoke and/or fire in the cockpit.
One of the few things that still worries me.

 

[Wardogg]

oh that suuuuuucks.

Smoke and/or fire in the cockpit.
One of the few things that still worries me.

Fighting an airplane that's fighting against me is not a way I want to go.

 

[arkflyr]

Final report is out. In flight fuel fed fire, stuff of nightmares.

Probable Cause and Findings

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

The pilots’ loss of airplane control following a catastrophic fire that started on the left side of the aft equipment bay (tail cone). The fire likely initiated from a leak from the left fuel motive flow line due to a b-nut that loosened for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence.

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/130456/pdf

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

Damn that’s a tough read

 

[bLizZuE]

Just under 6 minutes to work the most dangerous inflight emergency. RIP

 

[MikeD]

Sadly, this accident is a similar result, albeit for a different reason, to another Phoenix Air Lear that had a fatal crash very short of Fresno Air Terminal’s runway in December 1994 following an inflight fire in the aft equipment bay, but due to electrical origin of electronic mission equipment.