Canadair CL-600 accident near Tupelo, Mississippi, March 9, 2005
On March 9, 2005 at about 7:12 pm local time, a Canadair CL-600, registered N660RM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tupelo, Mississippi (Tupelo Regional Airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate design of the microphone jack assembly Supplemental Type Certificate by production design personnel resulting in the aft restriction of the control column at rotation airspeed, aborted takeoff, and collapse of the nose gear on the overrun.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 2005 · about 7:12 pm local time
- Place
- Tupelo, Mississippi · Tupelo Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Canadair CL-600 · all CL-600s on the register
- Registration
- N660RM · no longer on the register · serial 1054
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot (PIC) stated they were cleared for takeoff from runway 36. The airplane reached V1 (128 knots) and VR (134 knots) and the PIC attempted to rotate the airplane with the control column. The control column would not move aft from the neutral position. The forward movement of the control column was normal. The aft movement beyond the neutral position felt as if it was locked against a stop. The airplane was about 4,000 feet down the runway between 140 to 145 knots. No enunciator’s lights were illuminated. The PIC commanded the abort, extended the spoilers, applied maximum braking, and maximum reverse thrust, and maintained centerline down the runway. The airplane went off the end of the runway and the nose wheel collapsed in the mud. Review of the airplane log books revealed a Dual Baker M1045 Cockpit Audio System had been installed on the airplane in accordance with Supplemental Type Certificate Number SA 4900SW in 1984. Examination of the airplane revealed when the control column was pulled aft that the handheld microphone audio jack assembly attached to the co-pilot's control column was bent downward and the audio jack assembly came in contact with the control column cover preventing aft movement of the control column. A new Airworthiness Directive was issued requiring the modification of the microphone jack assembly, revision of the airplane flight manual to require repetitive visual checks of the microphone jack assemblies on both control columns to detect damage that may interfere with the movement of the control column.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,157 hours in all; 99 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 5,342 as pilot in command; 149 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 12, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,600 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 143 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 2,172 as pilot in command; 1,748 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,054 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 5, 2005; 6.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 41,400 lb
- Seats: 14
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming ALF502L2C (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TUP Tupelo MS at 7:11 pm
- Destination: TEB Teterboro NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 6,500 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft; a few clouds at 800 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:17 pm from TUP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.