Lessons from the Truckee NTSB Case Study

The only good thing to come out of aviation accidents, be they large or small, is that we can often learn from the mistakes of others.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 02:53 PM ET

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The airplane’s downwind leg and allowed circling radius. [Courtesy: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

The 2021 Challenger 605 accident, resulting in multiple fatalities, was attributed to an unstabilized approach, poor crew resource management (CRM), and critical decision-making, notably the flight crew's failure to brief a complex circle-to-land maneuver.
The incident underscores the paramount importance of thorough approach briefings to establish a shared mental model and the dangers of allowing an aircraft to be too fast or too high during critical phases of flight.
Key takeaways for pilots and instructors include implementing robust CRM training from early stages, consistent use of checklists, assertive communication, and the necessity for crew members to challenge unsafe actions to prevent accidents.

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The only good thing to come out of aviation accidents, be they large or small, is that we can often learn from the mistakes of others. I adopted this mindset years ago when I was tasked with writing up accident reports from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). In hindsight, the mistakes can be glaring, leaping off the page. How to mitigate the risks and the failures that led to the event takes a little more thought.

The NTSB recently released a video of a panel discussion about the 2021 accident involving a Challenger 605 attempting a circle to land approach at Truckee-Tahoe Airport (KTRK), in Truckee, California, that resulted in the deaths of the flight crew, six passengers, and two dogs. The probable cause of the accident was released in August of this year and listed as a combination of an unstabilized approach and the flight crew’s poor crew resource management and decision making. The panel discussion took the event apart step by step to identify the issues and suggest ways to mitigate these risks.