ASN Aircraft accident Learjet 45 XC-VMC Mexico City-Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX)
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Tuesday 4 November 2008
Time:18:46
Type:Silhouette image of generic LJ45 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Learjet 45
Operator:Mexican Government
Registration: XC-VMC
MSN: 45-028
First flight: 2000
Total airframe hrs:2486
Cycles:2215
Engines: 2 Garrett TFE731-20AR-1B
Crew:Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Passengers:Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6
Total:Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9
Ground casualties:Fatalities: 7
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:12 km (7.5 mls) W of Mexico City-Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX) (   Mexico)
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature:Official state flight
Departure airport:San Luis Potosí Airport (SLP/MMSP), Mexico
Destination airport:Mexico City-Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX/MMMX), Mexico
Narrative:
The Learjet departed San Luis Potosí (SLP) at 18:04 on a flight to Mexico City (MEX). On board were a.o. Mexican Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mourino, Deputy Attorney General José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos and Miguel Monterrubio Cubas, the director of social communication.
The flight was uneventful and at 18:40 the flight was cleared direct to the MATEO VOR. The controller instructed the crew to increase their speed to 220 knots and cleared the flight for an ILS/DME approach to runway 05R.
The Learjet was trailing a Boeing 767-300 (Mexicana Flight 1692 from Buenos Aires), which was instructed to decrease speed to 160 knots to maintain separation with a preceding Airbus A318. At 18:41 a further instruction was given to slow down to an indicated airspeed of 150 knots.
At 18:42 the Boeing 767 crossed MATEO VOR at a ground speed of 224 knots. The Learjet was following at 8 nautical miles (NM) at a ground speed of 272 knots.
At 18:44 the controller instructed Mexicana Flight 1692 to slow down to the minimum approach speed. At that time, the Learjet 45
was crossing the MATEO VOR with a ground speed of 262 knots, approximately 5.7 NM behind.
The controller then instructed the Learjet crew to reduce their airspeed to 180 knots. This was acknowledged but it took 16 seconds for the crew to take action.
Separation between the Boeing 767 and Learjet had decreased to 3.8 NM and the Learjet entered the wake turbulence of the 767.
Control was lost and the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent, impacting on the Monte Pelvoux and Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca Avenues. The aircraft disintegrated and a fire erupted. Several cars were destroyed and seven people on the ground were killed.

Probable Cause:

Probable cause (translated from original Spanish report): "Loss of control at low altitude and subsequent impact of the aircraft with the ground, encounter with wake turbulence caused by the aircraft that preceded it."

Contributing factors:
1. Lack of adequate training of the crew in the Lear Jet 45.
2. Delay of the flight crew in reducing speed.
3. Lack of Air Traffic Control to correct the excessive approach speed of the aircraft.
4. Likely fatigue accumulated by the air traffic controller.
5. Grant of flight capacity, administrative problems and probable corruption.
6. Insufficient monitoring of the aircraft operator to provide maintenance and operation.

Accident investigation:

cover
Investigating agency: DGCA Mexico
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 years
Accident number: Final report
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Weather: Wake vortex encounter
Loss of control

Sources:
» Secretariá de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT)


Photos

photo of Learjet-45-HB-VMC
accident date: 04-11-2008
type: Learjet 45
registration: HB-VMC
 

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from San Luis Potosí Airport to Mexico City-Benito Juárez International Airport as the crow flies is 366 km (229 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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Learjet 45

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