Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Auburn-Opelika Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Auburn, Alabama 36830
Sunday, September 22, 1985 12:36 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
DRG ARRIVAL, THE AIRCREW OF A GATES LEAR JET 35A, N873LP, CANCELED THEIR IFR CLEARANCE & CONTACTED THE AUBURN UNICOM, THEN ENTERED THE TRAFFIC PATTERN TO LAND ON RWY 18. THE UNICOM OPERATOR RPRTD THAT THE LEAR JET CREW HAD RPRTD THEIR POSITION ON EACH PORTION OF THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. AT APRX THE SAME TIME, THE PLT OF AN UNREGISTERED, EXPERIMENTAL, CHALLENGER II WAS IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR RWY 10. THE 2 RWYS INTERSECTED AT THEIR APCH ENDS. JUST BEFORE LANDING, THE 2 ACFT COLLIDED AS THEY WERE CROSSING OVR THE INTERSECTION & CRASHED ON THE ARPT. THE CHALLENGER (A 2 PLACE VERSION OF AN ULTRALIGHT VEHICLE) WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A RADIO & THE UNICOM OPERATOR WAS UNAWARE OF ITS PRESENCE IN THE TRAFFICPATTERN. THE LEAR JET PLT STATED THAT NEITHER HE NOR HIS COPLT HAD SEEN ANY OTHER TRAFFIC AT THE ARPT. NO INDICATION WAS FOUND THAT EITHER CREW HAD TAKEN EVASIVE ACTION. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE COLLISION HAD OCCURRED APRX 50 FT ABV THE INTERSECTION.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 9/22/1985 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1236 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | AUBURN |
| Event State | ALABAMA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 36830 |
| Event Date Year | 1985 |
| Event Date Month | 9 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | Yes |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | AUBURN-OPELIKA |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | AUO |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 776 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1248 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 100 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | CSG |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 397 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 30 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 3500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 3500 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 15 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 5 |
| Injury Total All | 8 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2564 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Sep 22 1985 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1500 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 30237 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 9:15AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
||
|---|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
Aircraft #2 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N873LP | NONE |
| NTSB Number | ATL85MA282A | ATL85MA282B |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Gates Learjet | CHALLENGER |
| Aircraft Model | 35A | II |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 35A | II |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 104 | |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 17000 | 790 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil | Not Registered |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 11 | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 2 | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | AAIP | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 16 | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 4171 | -- |
| ELT Installed | Unknown | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ||
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | ||
| Aircraft Owner City | ||
| Aircraft Owner State | ||
| Aircraft Owner Country | ||
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | ||
| Operator is an individual? | -- | -- |
| Operator Name | LOUISIANA PACIFIC CORP. | RECREATIONAL AERO,INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No | No |
| Operator Street Address | 2210 NE 25TH AVE. | 160 N. COLLEGE STREET |
| Operator City | HILLSBORO | AUBURN |
| Operator State | OR | AL |
| Operator Country | ||
| Operator Zip code | 97123 | 36830 |
| Operator Code | ||
| Owner has at least one certificate | None | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Business | Ferry |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No | No |
| Departure Airport Code | ||
| Departure City | DESTIN | TUSKEGEE |
| Departure State | FL | AL |
| Departure Country | ||
| Departure Time | 1200 | 1210 |
| Departure Time Zone | EDT | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | ||
| Destination City | ||
| Destination State | ||
| Destination Country | ||
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM | Jan 2 2001 10:36AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 18 | 10 |
| Runway Length | 3945 | 4000 |
| Runway Width | 75 | 100 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No | No |
| Medical Flight | -- | -- |