The National Transportation Safety Board cited “the flight crew’s failure to properly configure the airplane for takeoff in a high-density altitude environment” as the probable cause of a July 20, 2024 runway excursion by a Hawker 900XP during an aborted takeoff at Telluride Regional Airport (KTEX) in Colorado. The NTSB’s final report listed the crew’s failure to use checklists as a contributing factor; the analysis noted that the crew also departed with a quartering tailwind of 12 knots gusting to 17, exceeding the airplane flight manual’s (AFM) 10-knot maximum. The lower fuselage sustained substantial damage, but no one was injured.
KTEX is at 9,069 feet msl on a 1,000-foot mesa, surrounded by rising, mountainous terrain. The aircraft, N526FC, had arrived earlier that day, landing on Runway 9, and unloaded passengers; the accident flight was a positioning return to Miami Executive Airport (KTMB) without passengers, and the right seat pilot was in command. The FAA Chart Supplement for KTEX at the time of the accident recommended Runway 27 for takeoff and Runway 9 for landing.
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