NTSB Says Poor Decisions to Blame in Fatal Business Jet Accident

A string of failures led to the 2021 incident that killed all six people on board a Bombardier Challenger 605, according to the safety agency.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 07:24 PM ET

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The National Transportation Safety Board issued a 26-page report detailing what led to a 2021 crash of a Bombardier Challenger 605 jet in California. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that a series of poor cockpit decisions and inadequate crew resource management led to the fatal crash.
The flight crew failed to properly brief the complex circling approach, flew an unstabilized approach at excessive speed and altitude, and improperly deployed flight spoilers to salvage the descent, significantly reducing the aircraft's stall margin.
Both pilots ignored critical stall protection warnings and failed to execute a positive transfer of control, ultimately resulting in a left-wing stall and impact with terrain.

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The National Transportation Safety Board has determined a series of poor decisions in the cockpit led to the crash of a business jet at Truckee-Tahoe Airport (KTRK) in 2021 that killed all six people on board.

The accident occurred on July 26, 2021, when the Bombardier Challenger 605 was en route from Pappy Boyington Field (KCOE) in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to Truckee-Tahoe in California.