LEARJET 35A, GROTON, CONN., AUG. 4, 2003–The first officer’s inadvertent retraction of the flaps during low-altitude maneuvering caused Learjet N135PT to stall and crash into a house while attempting to land at the Groton/New London Airport, said the NTSB. Factors were the captain’s decision to perform a low-altitude maneuver using excessive bank angle, the flight crew’s inadequate coordination and low clouds surrounding the airport. The jet was destroyed and the two ATP pilots were killed. VMC prevailed, but the airplane was in and out of clouds during its low-altitude circling. An IFR flight plan had been filed for the Part 91 positioning flight, operated by Air East Management, from Republic Airport, Farmingdale, N.Y.
About five miles west of the airport, the flight crew advised the approach controller that they had the airport in sight and canceled IFR. About 1.5 miles from the runway, with the first officer at the controls, the airplane turned left, then back toward the right. The first officer said, “What happens if we break out, pray tell.” The captain replied, “Uh, I don’t see it on the left side. It’s gonna be a problem.”
