The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB ERA23LA126 · Final report

Gates Learjet CORP 55 accident near Rochester, New York, February 11, 2023

On February 11, 2023 at about 5:50 pm local time, a 1982 Gates Learjet CORP 55, registered N600C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Rochester, New York (Rochester International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilots’ failure to attain a proper landing flare and touchdown point, which resulted in a hard landing short of the runway.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
February 11, 2023 · about 5:50 pm local time
Place
Rochester, New York · Rochester International · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Gates Learjet CORP 55, built 1982
Registration
N600C · no longer on the register · serial 55-047
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

Neither pilot reported identifying any mechanical issues with the airplane before the flight. The flight was uneventful and both pilots described the landing as being firm, with the copilot stating the landing was in the touchdown zone on the runway. The pilot reported that after landing he knew something was wrong because the left wing was low. The pilots taxied the airplane to the ramp where they discovered fuel leaking from the left wing. A review of airport surveillance video revealed that the airplane touched down around the displaced threshold, bounced, and touched down again. Examination of the runway revealed skid marks beginning in the displaced threshold about 110 ft before the landing surface of the runway. Fractured airplane parts were scattered over and beyond the ground scars and tire markings. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed it sustained structural and skin damage to the left wing, the landing gear strut, and both left main wheels. One passenger said that she heard altitudes called out during the landing approach, and just before touchdown, she heard a crewmember announce, “too fast, too fast!” She stated the airplane contacted the runway so hard the oxygen masks deployed and compartments inside the airplane opened. The airplane bounced, and the second landing was bumpy. She also stated that fuel was leaking from the airplane when they were deplaned. Although the pilots’ subsequent statements indicated that they observed that the airplane’s left wing was “lower” during takeoff on the accident flight, surveillance video of the airplane from the departure airport did not indicate any anomalies. Given the available evidence, it is likely that the pilots failed to attain a proper landing flare and touchdown point, which resulted in a hard landing short of the runway.

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

  1. Hard landing during landing defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
  • Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
  • Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained

Pilot

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 13,550 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,500 on instruments
  • Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: no injuries

Co-pilot

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 30 in this make and model
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: rgt
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 10,504 hours
  • Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 30, 2022
  • Maximum gross weight: 21,750 lb
  • Seats: 13
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine 1: Honeywell TFE-731 (turbofan); 10,504 hours total
  • Engine 2: Honeywell TFE-731 (turbofan); 10,488 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: PBI West Palm Beach FL at 3:27 pm
  • Flight plan: IFR
  • Runway 28, 6,402 ft by 150 ft
  • A second pilot was aboard

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 280° at 11 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: overcast at 2,600 ft
  • Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.33 inHg
  • Observation at 12:54 pm from KROC, 1 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew2
Passengers4

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

11 documents, released by the NTSB on October 3, 2024. 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.

#DocumentWhat it is
1 Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 PDF, 11 pages View Download
2 Copilot Interview Summary (FAA) PDF, 2 pages View Download
3 Flight Crew Statements to Insurance Company PDF, 4 pages View Download
4 FAA Inspector's Statement (Airworthiness) PDF, 3 pages View Download
5 FAA Inspector's Statement (Operations) PDF, 1 page View Download
6 Record of Conversation Passenger PDF, 1 page View Download
7 Maintenance Records Review (FAA) PDF, 1 page View Download
8 Video File Accident Landing video View Download
9 Video File of Undamaged Airplane Parked and Taxiing Prior to Departure from Pbi MKV file Download
10 Photo Array PDF, 6 pages View Download
11 ADS-B Raw Data and Groundspeed Graph (NTSB) spreadsheet 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.