Learjet 35 accident near Key West, Florida, December 15, 2018
On December 15, 2018 at about 2:33 pm local time, a 1978 Learjet 35, registered N55FN, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Key West, Florida (Key West Intl airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew’s encounter with windshear during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 2018 · about 2:33 pm local time
- Place
- Key West, Florida · Key West Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Learjet 35 A, built 1978 · all 35s on the register
- Registration
- N55FN · no longer on the register · serial 202
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight crew conducted an instrument approach to their destination airport that terminated in a missed approach. Air traffic control provided radar vectors for a second approach, and during that time, the wind shifted due to the passage of a cold front and favored the opposite direction runway. The subsequent approach was uneventful; however, during the landing flare, the airplane touched down hard and was substantially damaged. Review of a weather sounding taken shortly before the accident revealed the potential for low-level windshear activity between the surface and 1,000 feet. Given this information, it is most likely that the flight crew encountered windshear during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
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
- Windshear or thunderstorm during landing defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Windshear › Contributed to outcome
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,950 hours in all; 1,150 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 997 as pilot in command; 400 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 21, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- 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: 1,634 hours in all; 320 in this make and model; 129 in the last 90 days; 38 in the last 30 days; 1,255 as pilot in command; 910 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 11, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22,533 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 12, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 18,001 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Honeywell TFE731-2-2B (turbofan); 20,769 hours total
- Engine 2: Honeywell TFE731-2-2B (turbofan); 19,793 hours total
- Operator: Medway Air Ambulance
The flight
- Departed from: LZU Lawrenceville GA at 12:30 pm
- Destination: EYW Key West FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 4,801 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 13 knots, gusting 19
- Sky: broken clouds at 600 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 2:25 pm from EYW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on February 23, 2022. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Operator Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Meteorology Study | PDF, 26 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
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.