Dassault Aviation Falcon 100 accident near Lawrence, Kansas, December 9, 2001
On December 9, 2001 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Dassault Aviation Falcon 100, registered N202DN, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lawrence, Kansas (Lawrence Municipal Airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The copilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing. Factors relating to this accident were the copilot's improper in-flight decision not to execute a go-around, the copilot not performing a go-around, the inadequate crew coordination prior to landing between the pilot and copilot, and the improperly set stabilizer trim.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 9, 2001 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lawrence, Kansas · Lawrence Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dassault Aviation Falcon 100
- Registration
- N202DN · registry record · serial 202
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that the copilot was flying a visual approach to runway 15 at the Lawrence Municipal Airport, Lawrence, Kansas. The pilot said, "With gear down and full flaps at approximately 15 to 20 feet above the runway and 115 KTS, the nose abruptly dropped and there was no elevator effectiveness with the yoke pulled back to the mechanical stop." The pilot said, "After landing, I noticed that the stabilizer trim indicated full nose down in the cockpit and, upon exterior inspection, the stab was in that position." The copilot said, "I made my turn to base and proceeded to make my turn to final. No problems with the controllability were noted at this time. The turn to final was made and the airplane was lined up with the runway on final approach with normal glide path. My altitude was dropping normally and my airspeed was approx[imately] 140 knots." The copilot said, "When it got time to pull the power back to idle for landing our airspeed was approx[imately] 110 knots and power was reduced. At that point in time the nose of the aircraft seemed to pitch over towards the runway and increase speed. I pulled back on the yoke to raise the nose and at that same instance the pilot recognized the pitch over and pulled back on the yoke at the same time. The yoke did not seem to pull all of the way to its full extent of travel and felt to mechanically stop at about 3/4 the way travel. Even with both pilot's pulling on the yoke it seemed unresponsive and failed to raise the nose back to a proper landing attitude. The aircraft hit the runway very hard and came to a stop on the runway." A preliminary inspection of the airplane showed the stabilizer positioned at 4 degrees nose down. An examination of the airplane's systems revealed no anomalies.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,500 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 2, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,229 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 1,053 as pilot in command; 487 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 13, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,421.4 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 29, 2001; 70.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 18,740 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Garrett TFE-731-2C-1C (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Garrett TFE-731-2C-1C (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MBO Madison MS at 9:35 pm
- Destination: LWC Lawrence KS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 15, 5,002 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from LWC, 1 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.
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.