Learjet 23 accident near Ansonia, Ohio, January 18, 1990
On January 18, 1990 at about 10:51 am local time, a Learjet 23, registered N331DP, was destroyed in an accident near Ansonia, Ohio. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FLIGHT CREW BECAME INCAPACITATED FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS AND LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 1990 · about 10:51 am local time
- Place
- Ansonia, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Learjet 23 · all 23s on the register
- Registration
- N331DP · registry record · serial 067
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 0515 EST, THE FLT WAS CLRD FOR TAKEOFF ON A FLT FM YPLISANTA, MI TO LOUISVILLE, KY. ABT 17 MIN LATER, THE FLT CREW BGN TO DISPLAY INDCNS OF A DETERIORATION OF THEIR ABILITY TO CTL THE ACFT. AT 1ST, THEY DEVIATED FM INSTRNS TO HOLD WEST OF THE FINDLAY VOR AT FL220. AS THE FLT CONTD & WAS CLRD TO FL270, THE CREW DISPLAYED CONFUSION ABT MAG HDGS & BASIC INSTRNS. AT 1048 EST, THE ACFT DEVIATED FM THE EN ROUTE HDG & THE WRONG HDG WAS READ BACK AFTER A HDG CORRECTION WAS GIVEN. ALSO, THE ACFT CONTD CLIMBING (TO FL291), THEN RADAR & RADIO CTC WERE LOST AT 0551 EST. THE CTLR NOTED THE PLT'S SPEECH WAS SLURRED & SOME PORTIONS OF THE CONVERSATION WERE UNINTELLIGIBLE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED IN A STEEP DIVE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE WAS VERIFIED, THOUGH IMPACT FORCES & POST-CRASH FIRE RESULTED IN EXTSV DMG OF THE ACFT. THE ACFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH OXYGEN & PRESSURIZATION SYS. NO AUDIBLE WARNING WAS NOTED ON ATC RECORDINGS TO INDC THE CABIN ALT HAD EXCEEDED 10,000', THOUGH THE ACFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH SUCH A DEVICE.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 168 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CJ-610-4 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Aero Smith Leasing
The flight
- Departed from: YIP Yplisanta MI at 10:20 am
- Destination: SDF Louisville KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,100 ft; scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:00 am from DAY, 42 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N331DP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.