Cessna 750 accident near New York, New York, April 4, 2008
On April 4, 2008, a Cessna 750, registered N750WM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near New York, New York (John F. Kennedy Intl 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 co-pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. Contributing to the accident was a loss of system A hydraulic fluid for undetermined reasons and the flight crew's failure to follow the checklist sequence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 2008
- Place
- New York, New York · John F. Kennedy Intl Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 750 · all 750s on the register
- Registration
- N750WM · no longer on the register · serial 750-0230
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The copilot (CP) was flying and air traffic control (ATC) was vectoring the airplane for an approach to a 10,000-foot long, 150-foot-wide runway, when an amber abnormal indicator light illuminated on the engine indicating and crew alert system (EICAS), indicating the hydraulic fluid on system A was low. The pilot-in-command (PIC) and the CP completed the checklist procedures down to the blow down of the landing gear. The flight crew did not follow the checklist sequence, and they did not evaluate the hydraulic pump to see if the hydraulic pump pressure could be restored. The flight crew turned on the A side pump, the power transfer unit was engaged, and the landing gear was lowered. The flight crew did not inform ATC of the loss of hydraulic fluid. The airplane touched down on the first 1,000 feet of runway 13L, and the CP informed the PIC that the brakes were not working. The PIC activated the emergency brakes one time, which appeared to work. The CP did not report any problems with nose wheel steering. The CP applied reverse thrust and the arm extend light illuminated on the right thrust reverser. The airplane started veering to the right and the CP could not maintain directional control. The PIC continued pulling the emergency brake handle as the airplane went off the right side of the runway, sheared off the left main landing gear, and came to a complete stop. Download of the EICAS system revealed the CP did not take the right thrust reverser out of reverse thrust. Review of airplane logbooks revealed the left hydraulic reservoir installed in the airplane was a repaired unit. The unit had been removed from another airplane due to an EICAS message stating it was empty when it was full. The switch was found to be out of adjustment. The unit was inspected and no anomalies were noted.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Hydraulic power system › Reservoir, main › Damaged/degraded
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Flight crew
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 29,000 hours in all; 915 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 22,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,705 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 7,110 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 914.5 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 1, 2008; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 361,000 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison AE-3007C (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCO Orlando FL at 10:16 pm
- Destination: JFK New York NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13L, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.