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 investigators are focusing on a left main landing gear failure as the cause of a fatal ground collision between a Learjet 35A and a parked Gulfstream G200 at Scottsdale Airport.
Video evidence shows the Learjet's left main landing gear was trailing and not down-and-locked, causing it to veer off the runway and collide, resulting in the pilot's death and multiple injuries.
The NTSB found the left main landing gear had a missing aft trunnion pin and an unfastened inboard attachment point, with a mechanic previously noting excessive grease was needed for that gear during servicing.
The accident flight crew had also been involved in a previous landing mishap in June 2024 that resulted in main landing gear tire failure.

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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.