Combat Learjet

Nice looking jet

WATCH: Jet blast from a departing airliner flipped a small plane at John Wayne Airport in California. No injuries were reported.

Boeing VS Airbus 😂 . . .

NTSB investigators and local officials continue recovery efforts for the wreckage of the Learjet 60 that crashed on Nov. 1 near Greenacres, Florida. Excavation work at the crash site began late yesterday and continues today, which included finding a portion of one engine. Debris has been found away from the impact location and also on the roofs of homes and buildings near the crash site. All recovered wreckage will be sent to a secure location for further examination. If you have found or collected any debris from the Learjet 60 crash, please do not keep it or attempt to move, alter or dispose of it. Even small pieces of the wreckage may contain important evidence that could help investigators determine what happened. We ask that you contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov to arrange its recovery. Please include a photo of the debris, if possible, in your email. Recovering all available wreckage is critical to the investigation and helping to determine the cause of the crash.

Writing this in my personal capacity, but I have been flying these types of aircraft for more than 20 years, with over 8,000 hours, and have reasonable familiarity with how the charter world operates. I feel compelled to post after seeing commentary about the Lear 60 crash, from missile strikes to DEI to critiquing this poor woman’s final radio calls. That last part is what I find most troubling. She was the second-in-command (SIC), and while she was empowered to point out mistakes as part of good crew resource management, she was doing her job, communicating with ATC right to the end in a terrifying situation. She likely knew before many of those calls that she was going to die. I have heard final calls from friends, from military pilots with thousands of hours in fighter aircraft, and they are just as heartbreaking because they know the end is approaching. I understand the public interest given the footage and audio. But you do not know the aircraft’s maintenance history, whether there was a structural failure, if any failure was induced by turbulence, overspeed, or overcontrol, or everything happening in that cockpit. I am sure weather will be part of the investigation, but beyond that, it is speculation. The charter industry routinely hires commercial pilots very early in their careers to gain experience alongside an ATP-qualified captain before they move up to the airlines. She would still have the appropriate training, qualifications, and checkouts by an FAA examiner or designee. Let people investigate, learn, and share the facts. Be respectful to those who perished and the families who carry their memories. God bless them and their loved ones.

One year ago today, we flew home from Seattle. The day before, we found out the T-cells didn't work. A stranger donated their plane and pilots through Aero Angels to get us home. No matter what, Liv was still smiling. 💛 aeroangel.org/