Learjet 25 accident near St. Augustine, Florida, July 21, 2007
On July 21, 2007 at about 6:10 pm local time, a Learjet 25, registered N70SK, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Augustine, Florida (St. Augustine 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of power on both engines for an undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2007 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- St. Augustine, Florida · St. Augustine Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Learjet 25 · all 25s on the register
- Registration
- N70SK · registry record · serial 049
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About 5 miles from the destination airport, the flight was cleared by air traffic control to descend from its cruise altitude of 5,000 feet for a visual approach. As the first officer reduced engine power, both engines "quit." The captain attempted to restart both engines without success. He then took control of the airplane, and instructed the first officer to contact air traffic control and advise them that the airplane had experienced a "dual flameout." The captain configured the airplane by extending the landing gear and flaps and subsequently landed the airplane on the runway "hard," resulting in substantial damage to the airframe. Both engines were test run following the accident at full and idle power with no anomalies noted. Examination of the airplane revealed that it was equipped with an aftermarket throttle quadrant, and that the power lever locking mechanism pins as well as the throttle quadrant idle stops for both engines were worn. The power lever locking mechanism internal springs for both the left and right power levers were worn and broken. Additionally, it was possible to repeatedly move the left engine's power lever directly into cutoff without first releasing its power lever locking mechanism; however, the right engine's power lever could not be moved to the cut off position without first releasing its associated locking mechanism. The right throttle thrust reverser solenoid installed on the airplane was found to be non-functional, but it is not believed that this component contributed to the accident. No explicit inspection or repair instructions were available for the throttle quadrant assembly. Other than the throttle quadrant issues, no other issues were identified with either the engines or airframe that could be contributed to both engines losing power simultaneously.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,620 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 2,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,453 hours in all; 368 in this make and model; 244 in the last 90 days; 89 in the last 30 days; 1,647 as pilot in command; 26 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,812 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 15,000 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: General Electric CJ610-6 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GNV Gainesville FL at 5:54 pm
- Destination: SGJ St. Augustine FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13, 7,996 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 6:02 pm from SJG, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 NYC07LA170.