Probable cause
The flight crew’s encounter with windshear during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
NTSB analysis
The flight crew conducted an instrument approach to their destination airport that terminated in a missed approach. Air traffic control provided radar vectors for a second approach, and during that time, the wind shifted due to the passage of a cold front and favored the opposite direction runway. The subsequent approach was uneventful; however, during the landing flare, the airplane touched down hard and was substantially damaged. Review of a weather sounding taken shortly before the accident revealed the potential for low-level windshear activity between the surface and 1,000 feet. Given this information, it is most likely that the flight crew encountered windshear during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA19LA073 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Dec 15, 2018
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Key West, Florida
- Nearest airport
- Key West Intl (EYW)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC)
- Light
- Day
Learjet 35
- N-number
- N55FN
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1978
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.