NTSB Scrutinizes Landing Gear in Learjet Accident in Arizona

Video showed that the left main landing gear of a Learjet 35A was trailing and not in the down-and-locked position, according to a report.

Monday, March 03, 2025 at 12:09 PM ET

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Video excerpts showing the landing rollout to impact during the February 10 accident at Scottsdale Airport (KSDL) in Arizona. [Credit: NSTB]

Key Takeaways:

Federal accident investigators are focusing on a landing gear failure as the probable cause of a fatal ground collision between two business jets at Scottsdale Airport on February 10.
The arriving Learjet 35A’s left main landing gear was observed trailing and not in the down-and-locked position, causing the aircraft to veer off the runway and strike a parked Gulfstream G200.
The accident resulted in the death of the Learjet pilot and injuries to four other people aboard both aircraft, with no radio calls indicating the flight crew was aware of a landing gear issue.
The NTSB found the Learjet's left main landing gear's aft trunnion pin was missing, and the same aircraft and crew were involved in a previous hard landing incident in June 2024.

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Federal accident investigators are focusing on landing gear failure as a possible factor that led to the death of one person and injured three others when two business jets collided on the ground at Scottsdale Airport (KSDL) in Arizona last month.

The February 10 accident occurred around 2:39 p.m. MST during VFR conditions when a Learjet 35A arriving from Austin, Texas, veered off the runway and struck a parked Gulfstream G200.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.