Gates Learjet 25B accident near Wilmington, Delaware, August 17, 1983
On August 17, 1983 at about 11:24 am local time, a Gates Learjet 25B, registered N108PA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wilmington, Delaware (Greater Wilmington airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 1983 · about 11:24 am local time
- Place
- Wilmington, Delaware · Greater Wilmington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gates Learjet 25B · all 25Bs on the register
- Registration
- N108PA · registry record · serial 195
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LIFT-OFF A FLOCK OF BIRDS APPROACHED FROM LEFT TO RIGHT AT ABOUT 400 FT. THE PLT MANEUVERED THE ACFT BEHIND & ABOVE THE BIRDS IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID THEM. BOTH ENGS FLAMED OUT & THE ACFT MDE A FORCED LANDING ON A ROAD. GROUND WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE CLIMBOUT AS '...VERY STEEP...' & '...A STEEP ANGLE, BETWEEN 40 AND 45 DEGREES.' THERE WAS SOME BIRD RESIDUE ON THE ENGS.
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: 4,304 hours in all; 1,420 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 4,304 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,758 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 28, 1983; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 15,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge C5610-6 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northeast Jet CO.
The flight
- Destination: DAN Danville VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 7,165 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 68 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 am from ILG, 1 miles away
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.