Israel Aircraft Industries 1125 WESTWIND ASTRA accident near Aspen, Colorado, September 30, 1996
On September 30, 1996 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Israel Aircraft Industries 1125 WESTWIND ASTRA, registered N419MK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aspen, Colorado (Aspen-Pitkin Co/Sardy Fld airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the right brake antiskid, due to corrosion of a canon plug; and failure of the flight crew to revert to the normal brake system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1996 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Aspen, Colorado · Aspen-Pitkin Co/Sardy Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Israel Aircraft Industries 1125 WESTWIND ASTRA 1125 WESTW · all 1125 WESTWIND ASTRAs on the register
- Registration
- N419MK · registry record · serial 066
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said the landing was normal. The brake antiskid system was engaged. Braking action decelerated the airplane to 90 kias, then the airplane began drifting left of the runway centerline. Differential braking, full right rudder, and nose wheel steering failed to correct the ground track. The airplane collided with two taxiway signs, the nose landing gear was sheared off, and its strut penetrated the pressure vessel. Temporary repairs were made to the airplane in order to ferry it to a facility where permanent repairs could be made. When electrical power was applied, the right brake antiskid light illuminated. The brake antiskid system was then engaged. During a high speed taxi test, the brake antiskid light remained illuminated. When brakes were applied, the right brake was found to be inoperative. When the antiskid system was disengaged, the brakes operated normally. Post-test examination disclosed the right inboard antiskid generator canon plug was corroded, causing the antiskid to falsely sense a locked brake and automatically releasing it.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,008 hours in all; 207 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 3,348 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,974 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 5, 1996; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 24,650 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TFE 731-3A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Emery Air Charter
The flight
- Departed from: MDW Chicago IL at 4:21 pm
- Destination: ASE
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 15, 7,004 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:40 pm from ASE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW96LA405.