Dassault-Breguet FALCON 10 N87RT

Summary

On 7 June 2023 at about 01:17 local time, a Dassault-Breguet FALCON 10 registered N87RT, operated by Aviation Development Group, was involved in an accident near Panama City, Florida, United States. 5 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 June 2023 at 01:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Panama City, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Northwest Florida Beaches Inte (ECP)

Coordinates

30.3582, -85.7956

Aircraft

Dassault-Breguet FALCON 10

Registration

N87RT

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

2

Operator

Aviation Development Group

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Atlanta → Panama City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA23LA261

Nobody was injured.

The flight crew’s failure to appropriately configure the airplane for landing, which resulted in a failed attempt to utilize the thrust reversers during landing and the inability to stop the airplane using its brakes due to increased forward thrust. Contributing to the accident was the flight crew’s failure to utilize the appropriate checklist for the thrust reverser equipped airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Upon arriving at the destination airport, the business jet touched down about 2,500 ft beyond the threshold of the 10,000-ft-long runway. The pilot extended the airplane’s flight spoilers and attempted to activate the thrust reversers, but the airplane did not decelerate as expected and a warning horn sounded. The pilots then attempted to apply normal followed by emergency braking, both of which were ineffective in slowing the airplane. The airplane subsequently overran the runway and struck several approach lighting stanchions, coming to rest after the landing gear collapsed. The airplane’s occupants were uninjured, but the airplane was substantially damaged during the accident sequence. Following the accident, the captain noticed he had forgotten to move the thrust reverser emergency stow switches to their normal operating position after completing a preflight check. The warning horn heard during the landing was an indication of the stowed thrust reverser switches. The ineffective braking likely occurred because of the engines’ increased thrust output due to the attempted application of the thrust reversers with the switches in the stowed position. A postaccident examination of the wreckage confirmed that there was no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The airplane checklist found in the cockpit was marked “For Training Purposes Only” and for an airplane that was not equipped with thrust reversers.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.