I am certainly not knowledgeable, but suspect that something went wrong during the fueling process before it took off.
Quick way to go broke? Underwriting Accidental Death Policies to entertainers.
At least she didn’t suffer, more than a few miliseconds.
Lord have mercy.
I heard this news on the radio and just gasped. (I seldom gasp)
If a plane at 28,000 feet begins a nose dive at 600 mph, isn’t there still at least 2 minutes of sheer terror and panic before the plane hits the ground?
Prayers for all....
I REALLY hope my last two minutes aren’t as grim as hers likely were.
If my math is correct, that’s about a 32 second nose dive. Presumably a person would loose consciousness at that rate, but still briefly terrifying.
The jet was built in 1969 and records show it sustained substantial damage in an accident in 2005 when it experienced a fuel system malfunction.
However, just saw this that refers to the 2005 incident as "pilot error"?
The 43-year-old Learjet sustained substantial damage in a runway incident in 2005 when the airplane struck a runway marker and veered off the landing strip. NTSB investigators attributed that incident to pilot error.
What was the weather like?
Hope they had their seat belts on.
Just curious, and know nothing about aviation. But if the plane left the airport 10 minutes earlier and was just 60 miles from where it departed, how could it have been at 28,000 feet, traveling at 600 mph so soon? Do the small jets climb faster than commercial jets?
Was the pilot’s name Angel or Achmed? RIP Jenni Rivera—she was a cutie in life.
Is it cheaper to charter a private plane than to fly commercial? I can never figure out why anyone takes these risks, given that the pilot has to fly random routes and the mechanics on the ground are of unknown/dubious quality.
I have spent many hours abord Lear 20 and 30 series aircraft. There is nothing wrong with them and they do glide. They are NOT idiot proof, and do need to be flown by a professional, trained crew.
I know of no mechanical or structural defects that would cause this. The situation had to involve crew incapacitation, probably passengers as well. The pressurization system on the aircraft is of 1960s vintage, but it is fine if properly maintained.
The biggest drawback with the early Lear series is that because of a relatively low street value, they generally wind-up in the hands of shoestring operators that try to cut every corner imaginable. That is a very bad combination.
(1) The Lear series is certificated with a minimum crew of two pilots....
... so the older Captain's health/consciousness would not normally bring this result if he was incapacitated due to his own health issues.
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(2) Smooth handling of the cabin pressurization system is a little tricky...
... there are simplistic automatic profile settings for the anticipated cruise altitude....
.... And manual override controls on the co-pilot's side of the cockpit
Older airframes with many cycles are typically "leaky" --
...and the crew /especially the co-pilot would have to be alert & sharp to catch a subtle "climb" in cabin altitude due to a leaky door seal, f'rinstance.
The Payne Stewart tragedy was a subtle pressurization problem that occurred in its final form at altitudes sufficient to render the crew incapacitated in about 1 minute.
The Jenni Rivera crew should have had sufficient time to don crew oxygen masks and correct the pressurization problems-- including descent and return to the origin airport.
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(3) The Lear series had some midlife issues that revolved around the NiCad battery system overheating and forecfully bursting--
This disintegration was found to cause physical damage to the flight controls AND/OR damaging the fuel lines that passed through the same tight spaces in the back of the rear service compartment.
Several serious crashes were eventually attributed to this system breakdown --
The FAA issued AD's to redesign /reroute the critical fuel lines.... AND
.... Imposed procedural restrictions for use of battery power on the ground...
...With additional periodic maintenance processes for testing /replacement of the battery.
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So the questions are begged...
Were all of the AD's complied and complete??
Certainly -- if the aircraft was operated in the USA....
... If it was "owned" in the USA and only operated in Mexico... MAYBE NOT...
In the wee hours of the morning-- did the crew find it necessary to accomplish battery starts (without an external power cart)??
Did the crew use the checklist correctly and routinely--??
....Or was the young co-pilot just following a salty ol' Capn's orders to start 'em up & blast-off...??
In the wee hours of the morning... was crew duty day /fatigue a factor--did they miss something important on the taxi/takeoff checklists??
The "star" arrives -- and everyone expects the crew to start/taxi & takeoff ASAP...
If the pressurization settings were not set correctly before takeoff...OR there was a slow air leak.....
Did the crew "catch" the cabin altitude problem before they lost useful conscieousness??
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Last but not least possibility--
(4) If the crew exceeded any airframe speed/mach limitations during the climb-- structural compromise /failure of the flight control/trim surfaces -- that would also suffice to send the aircraft plummeting...
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One last thought about investigating the crash...
IIRC --not all (older) "charter" planes are required to fly with the typical "black boxes" like airliners.
(cockpit voice recorders or flight data recorders--etc)
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OK -- just food for thought.... a few possibilities...
This is a sad loss--- prayers for the families of those who perished in this accident.
There was an accident involving a Lear flying into Batten Field in Racine. It was a clear and moon lit night, the weather was fine. The plane was being controlled out of the Mitchel Field (MKE) tower and disappeared off the Milwaukee radar three miles off Wind Point in Racine. It crashed in Lake Michigan with most of Mack Truck's Board of Directors, no survivors.
I only had the opportunity to ride in ours a couple of times and really enjoyed it even with the cramped quarters (I'm 6'4").
Regards,
GtG
BTW: "Air Disasters" on The Smithsonian Channel is a fascinating documentary series. Each show traces a particular investigation.
