Bombardier INC CL600 2D24 accident near Mccook, Nebraska, June 10, 2015
On June 10, 2015 at about 9:14 pm local time, a 2009 Bombardier INC CL600 2D24, registered N246LR, was involved in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Mccook, Nebraska. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries; 75 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inadvertent encounter with turbulence while deviating around an area of known convective activity.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 2015 · about 9:14 pm local time
- Place
- Mccook, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries; 75 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Bombardier INC CL600 2D24 900, built 2009
- Registration
- N246LR · registry record · serial 15239
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight crew, they were deviating around known convective activity and anticipated some turbulence. The flight crew stated they selected the fasten seatbelt sign on approximately two minutes prior to the turbulence encounter. The flight was level at FL370 about 80 miles southwest of McCook, Nebraska when they encountered turbulence characterized by the flight crew as severe. FDR data indicated the airplane was level with airspeed of 258 knots, when the airspeed momentarily increased to 268 knots and varied between 268 and 244 knots over the next 10 seconds. There was an approximately 10 second period of fluctuations in both vertical and lateral acceleration. The vertical acceleration fluctuated between -.55 g's to a peak of +1.64 g's while lateral acceleration changed from -.13 g's to +.23 g within three seconds. The flight attendant in the forward jumpseat was making an announcement regarding the seatbelt sign and hit her head on the back of the jumpseat when the flight encountered turbulence. She reported that she saw a passenger in the rear of the cabin thrown against the ceiling and then back down to the floor and another passenger displaced from her seat hit her head on the overhead storage compartments. A passenger in the aft lavatory was thrown against the ceiling and wall and two additional passengers were displaced from their seats. The cabin crew contacted the flight crew to notify them of the injuries, and the flight crew arranged for paramedics to meet the airplane at the destination airport. Three passengers were transported to a local hospital. All were treated and released; one was diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder and a chipped bone.
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
- Turbulence encounter during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Convective weather › Thunderstorm › Contributed to outcome
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Convective turbulence › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,800 hours in all; 6,114 in this make and model; 186 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 8,345 as pilot in command; 2,401 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 12, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,564 hours in all; 356 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 547 as pilot in command; 476 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 27, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,018.5 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 10, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 81,560 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CF34-8C5 (turbofan); 24,881 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CF34-8C5 (turbofan); 10,022 hours total
- Operator: Mesa Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: KPHX Phoenix AZ at 7:44 pm
- Destination: KDSM Des Moines IA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:53 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 1 | ||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 3 | 72 |
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.