Learjet 35A accident near Aniak, Alaska, February 21, 2008
On February 21, 2008 at about 11:50 pm local time, a Learjet 35A, registered N351AS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Aniak, Alaska (Aniak airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The captain's inadequate compensation for wind conditions during the landing flare/touchdown. Contributing to the accident were a crosswind and windshear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 21, 2008 · about 11:50 pm local time · cases in 2008
- Place
- Aniak, Alaska · Aniak · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Learjet 35A · all 35As on the register
- Registration
- N351AS · registry record · serial 146
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flightcrew of a turbojet airplane were landing during dark night VFR conditions at the conclusion of an instrument flight rules (IFR) cross-country aeromedical positioning flight. The captain said he broke out of the cloud base about 1,200 feet msl, 7 miles from the runway. He said he was holding about 15 to 20 degrees of left crab to remain aligned with the runway centerline, and he felt a strong crosswind over the runway threshold. During the landing flare, the left wingtip fuel tank contacted the runway. The captain applied full right aileron and full right rudder, and the airplane touched down on the centerline. After parking, an inspection of the left wingtip fuel tank revealed scraping and flattening of about the aft third of the underside of the fuel tank. The upper surface of the wing, inboard from the tip tank, was wrinkled. The automated weather observing system (AWOS) was reporting, in part: Wind, 270 degrees at 5 knots; visibility, 9 statute miles; clouds and sky condition, 1,200 feet overcast. The FAA Facility Directory/Alaska Supplement notes that "Because of natural obstructions, the AWOS-3 wind may be unrepresentative of runway wind conditions." The captain indicated that the landing approach speed was flown with additional airspeed to compensate for the wind conditions, and he noted that he could only assume that windshear contributed to the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Not specified
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Windshear › Not specified
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Not specified
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Crosswind correction › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 54 in the last 30 days; 15,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,170 hours in all; 1,150 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 115 in the last 30 days; 250 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,744 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme; 250 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 18,300 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Honeywell TFE-731 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Chipola Aviation Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: PANC Anchorage AK at 11:05 pm
- Destination: PANI Aniak AK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 28, 6,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 9°F (-13°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.39 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from PANI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 5 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N351AS on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Learjet 35 161 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Honeywell TFE-731 8 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Aniak Airport · nearest airport
- Ted Stevens Anchorage International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 823 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,143 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC08LA035.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.