NTSB Identification: LAX99FA101
Nonscheduled 14 CFR 135 operation of TRANS EXEC AIR SERVICE INC. Accident occurred FEB-16-99 at VAN NUYS, CA Aircraft: Grumman G-1159, registration: N711TE Injuries: 4 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
On February 16, 1999, at 1318 hours Pacific standard time, a Grumman G-1159 (Gulfstream
II), N711TE, sustained substantial damage when it departed the end of runway 16R
after landing at the Van Nuys, California, airport. The airline transport pilot,
first officer, flight attendant, and sole passenger were not injured. The flight
was conducted as an on-demand, domestic, passenger flight under Title 14 CFR
Part 135 by Trans-Exec Air Service, Inc. Three parked and unoccupied aircraft on
the ground were destroyed; one sustained substantial damage and another minor
damage when the aircraft traveled into a tie down area.
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. According to the flight log in the aircraft, the GII departed Westhampton Beach, New York, at 0957 eastern standard time with three crewmembers and eight passengers. That flight terminated in Montrose, Colorado, and seven passengers deplaned. The aircraft then departed for Van Nuys. The passenger stated the flight was unremarkable through the early stages of the approach. All three crewmembers were in the cockpit area with the door to the cabin closed.
The seat belt light was illuminated but no other briefing was conducted. He stated the approach then assumed an angle steeper than any he had previously encountered and the speed was "very, very, very fast." He pressed his feet into the seat back in front of him. For the last 3 or 4 minutes of the flight he heard a loud, rapidly repeating, beeping sound through the cockpit door. He also stated that he usually hears two sounds during the approach. One he believes to be the speed brakes being deployed and the other the landing gear going down. He was not aware of the first sound on this flight and he never got the sense that the aircraft was slowing down.
The passenger reported that the aircraft maintained its steep angle of descent and high speed until over the runway. After maintaining a high speed at what he estimated to be 30-40 feet over the runway for some time, the passenger said he thought the aircraft had better get on the ground or go around. After that he felt the rear wheels touch down, but he thought the nose wheel was still in the air. Eventually the nose dropped but he didn't hear the thrust reversers spool up. He said he had no sense of slowing down as the aircraft was progressing down the runway. Then he heard the reversers spool up and he was pulled forward in his seat. Braking attempts did not feel successful to him; he could feel them cycle on and off. The aircraft turned sharply to the left and felt like it was banking to the left.
At that point he thought the right wheel was off the ground and the aircraft would roll over. He could see that they continued to travel over a grassy area and back onto pavement. Then he could see and hear them hitting parked aircraft. The aircraft stopped and he did not see any fire. The passenger further stated that shortly after the aircraft came to a stop, the cockpit door flew open and the crew tried to unsuccessfully open the entry door. None of the crewmembers directed any attention to him. At this point he noticed what he believed to be fuel running down the top of the wing and said, "I think we have a problem." He heard crewmembers say "O God, we'll go out the back," and, "let's go".
All three ran by him to the back of the aircraft and exited through the baggage door without directing any comments to him or offering any assistance. He went to the back of the aircraft and jumped to waiting firemen.
Several ground witnesses observed the aircraft travel over the runway at what appeared to them to be higher than normal speed. Two observers estimated the aircraft touched down on the runway almost abeam the control tower. Two witnesses said the flaps were down. A mechanic experienced on Gulfstream aircraft observed the touchdown and stated it looked like it hit hard and there appeared to be more smoke than normal. He also noted there were alternating puffs of smoke and clearing. The right side smoked more than the left.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector measured 3,400 feet of skid marks on the 8,001-foot-long runway starting near taxiway 13 G. He measured another 1,072 feet to the aircraft's final resting point. The aircraft struck a row of west facing parked aircraft with its the left wing and nose, then stopped on an easterly heading. Approximately 100 feet of fence was knocked down or torn by the various aircraft.
The nose of the GII was over the fence and in a parking lot. The left wing of the GII exhibited numerous scrapes and dents and had several large gouges in its leading edge. Several nose gear components suffered impact damage. The nose gear was pushed back and leaking fluid from a fractured line. The nose gear had to be removed to facilitate separation of the damaged aircraft and more fluid leaked out. The outboard, right main tire was flat.
On February 17, 1999, another nose strut assembly and new main tire were installed on the GII and it was towed to The Jet Center at Van Nuys. The two cut nose wheel steering cables were pulled manually and the cockpit control was observed to follow these left and right movements. Jet Center mechanics performed operational checks as prescribed in the Gulfstream computerized maintenance program; the Safety Board and the FAA observed these tests. The ground spoiler, thrust reverser, and antiskid systems were tested and complied satisfactorily with these test requirements. No run-up tests were conducted. After completing the tests, the aircraft was released to the owner's insurance agent.