Canadair CL-600-2B16 accident near West Palm Beach, Florida, July 22, 2015
On July 22, 2015 at about 6:10 pm local time, a 1992 Canadair CL-600-2B16, registered N613PJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near West Palm Beach, Florida (Palm Beach International airport). It was a positioning 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 flight crew's failure to properly use the before start checklist, to monitor the airplane's motion, and to see and avoid objects around the airplane, which resulted in an inadvertent roll into a ground vehicle.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2015 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- West Palm Beach, Florida · Palm Beach International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Canadair CL-600-2B16, built 1992 · all CL-600-2B16s on the register
- Registration
- N613PJ · no longer on the register · serial 5123
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the captain, the pilots were "rushed" as they performed their preflight preparations of the jet and forgot to close the baggage door. Ground personnel noticed the discrepancy and drove an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) out to the airplane so that they could advise the crew. After dismounting from the ATV, which they had parked about 10 ft in front of the airplane's left wing, they warned the captain, who left the cockpit to close the baggage door. Once the door was closed, he returned to the cockpit. The captain then looked out the side window and noticed that the airplane was rolling forward, and he asked the first officer what she was doing. About that time, the airplane struck the ATV. The flight crew stated that once they realized the airplane was moving, they attempted to apply the brakes, but it was not until they shut down the engines and re-applied the parking brake that the airplane came to a stop. A postaccident functional check of the airplane's hydraulic and braking systems did not reveal any anomalies. Review of the airplane's cockpit voice recorder revealed that the crew did not verbally follow the airplane's before start checklist, which required them to verify hydraulic system pressure, and that the parking brake was set before starting the engines. Had the flight crew followed this procedure, monitored the airplane's motion during and immediately after the engine start, and been more cognizant of the objects surrounding the airplane, it is likely that the ground collision would have been avoided.
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
- Ground collision during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Flight crew
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Flight crew
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Flight crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,926 hours in all; 3,324 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 77 in the last 30 days; 10,191 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 7, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 13, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 45,000 lb
- Seats: 13
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Ge CF34-3A (turbofan); 9,650 hours total
- Engine 2: Ge CF34-3A (turbofan); 9,559 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PBI West Palm Beach FL at 6:10 pm
- Destination: OPF Opa Locka FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; scat at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KPBI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
15 documents, released by the NTSB on March 15, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.