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Oct. 10, Wichita, Kan. / Canadair Challenger

At 14:52 central time, a Canadair CL600-2B16 operating as a certification test flight crashed after takeoff from Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. The test flight was an evaluation of stick force per g of the airplane as per Joint Aviation Requirement 25.143(f). The pilot and flight test engineer were killed and the copilot sustained serious injuries. A witness reported seeing the airplane flying sideways about 6-10 ft. off of the ground. I then saw the aircraft level out, and I thought that everything was OK. I slowed down and was watching it and it tilted sideways again. The right wing then hit the ground and the airplane cartwheeled....

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Key Takeaways:

  • A Canadair CL600-2B16 certification test flight crashed shortly after takeoff from Wichita Mid-Continent Airport.
  • The flight was evaluating "stick force per g" as per Joint Aviation Requirement 25.143(f).
  • The accident resulted in the deaths of the pilot and flight test engineer, and serious injuries to the copilot.
  • Witnesses reported seeing the airplane fly sideways, level out, then tilt sideways again before the right wing hit the ground and it cartwheeled.
See a mistake? Contact us.

At 14:52 central time, a Canadair CL600-2B16 operating as a certification test flight crashed after takeoff from Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. The test flight was an evaluation of stick force per g of the airplane as per Joint Aviation Requirement 25.143(f). The pilot and flight test engineer were killed and the copilot sustained serious injuries. A witness reported seeing the airplane flying sideways about 6-10 ft. off of the ground. I then saw the aircraft level out, and I thought that everything was OK. I slowed down and was watching it and it tilted sideways again. The right wing then hit the ground and the airplane cartwheeled.

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