Learjet 23 accident near Oakdale, California, March 4, 1998
On March 4, 1998 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Learjet 23, registered N37BL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oakdale, California (Oakdale airport). It was an instructional 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
failure of the flight crew to extend the landing gear before landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 1998 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Oakdale, California · Oakdale · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Learjet 23 · all 23s on the register
- Registration
- N37BL · no longer on the register · serial 069
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated in his accident report that there was no crew action to extend the landing gear prior to touchdown.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,200 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 4,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,747 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 29, 1998; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,499 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CJ-610 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pac West Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: SCK Stockton CA at 9:25 pm
- Destination: O27 CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 3,020 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.