Learjet 35A accident near Teterboro, New Jersey, May 15, 2017
On May 15, 2017 at about 7:29 pm local time, a 1981 Learjet 35A, registered N452DA, was destroyed in an accident near Teterboro, New Jersey (Teterboro airport). It was a positioning flight 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 pilot-in-command's (PIC) attempt to salvage an unstabilized visual approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the PIC's decision to allow an unapproved second-in-command to act as pilot flying, the PIC's inadequate and incomplete preflight planning, and the flight crew's lack of an approach briefing. Also contributing to the accident were Trans-Pacific Jets' lack of safety programs that would have enabled the company to identify and correct patterns of poor performance and procedural noncompliance and the Federal Aviation Administration's ineffective Safety Assurance System procedures, which failed to identify these company oversight deficiencies.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 2017 · about 7:29 pm local time
- Place
- Teterboro, New Jersey · Teterboro · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Learjet 35A, built 1981 · all 35As on the register
- Registration
- N452DA · no longer on the register · serial 35A-452
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
NTSB investigators traveled in support of this investigation and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report. The NTSB's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/AccidentReports.aspx. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-19/02. On May 15, 2017, about 1529 eastern daylight time, a Learjet 35A, N452DA, departed controlled flight while on a circling approach to runway 1 at Teterboro Airport (TEB), Teterboro, New Jersey, and impacted a commercial building and parking lot. The pilot-in-command and the second-in-command died; no one on the ground was injured. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. The airplane was registered to A&C Big Sky Aviation, LLC, and was operated by Trans-Pacific Air Charter, LLC, under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a positioning flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight departed from Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about 1504 and was destined for TEB.
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
- Approach-circling (IFR) Aerodynamic stall/spin defining event
- Approach-circling (IFR) Loss of control in flight
- Approach-circling (IFR) Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Flight crew
- cause Organizational issues › Management › Policy/procedure › Adequacy of policy/proc › Operator
- cause Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of operation › FAA/Regulator
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,441 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 15, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 18,001 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Honeywell TFE731-2-2B (turbofan); 11,310 hours total
- Engine 2: Honeywell TFE731-2-2B (turbofan); 11,300 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PHL Phillidelphia PA at 7:04 pm
- Destination: TEB Teterboro NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 01, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.75 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 pm from TEB, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.
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.