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From Twinjet to Glider: Varied Experience Comes in Handy in Unwanted Transition

So, what caused a highly reliable twin engine jet to turn into a glider? Short answer is fuel contamination.

[Illustration: Joel Kimmel]
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Key Takeaways:

  • An air ambulance Learjet experienced a double engine failure mid-flight while en route from Las Vegas, turning the aircraft into a glider.
  • The pilot, an experienced glider instructor, skillfully executed a deadstick emergency landing at an uncontrolled airfield in Page, Arizona, with no injuries or aircraft damage.
  • The cause of the engine failures was identified as human error, specifically fuel contamination with diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) mistakenly added to the fuel instead of the required icing inhibitor.
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The last week of April 2023, I was in Las Vegas sitting at an FBO waiting for dispatch to call. I am an air ambulance pilot flying the venerable Lear 35 twinjet around the country, moving patients to critical and advanced care facilities.

We dropped a patient the previous evening in Sin City and were waiting for our next mission. As late afternoon approached, I was expecting a call about what hotel we would be in that night. The call came, but not as expected. The direction was to gather the crew (first officer, flight nurse, and flight paramedic) and get to Chicago Midway International (KMDW) as soon as possible. One of our other aircraft developed a technical issue after taxiing with a patient on board that was awaiting transfer to New York for surgery.

Paul Lynch

Paul Lynch is a retired Navy commander and currently an air ambulance pilot flying the Learjet. He is an ATP, CFI-A, CFII, and active CFI-G.4.

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