On Christmas Eve 1996, a

Learjet 35A The Learjet Model 35 and Model 36 are a series of American multi-role business jets and military transport aircraft manufactured by Learjet. When used by the United States Air Force they carry the designation C-21A. The aircraft are powered by ...

business jet disappeared near

Dorchester, New Hampshire Dorchester is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 339 at the 2020 census. History Originally granted by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1761, Dorchester was named for Dorchester in Dorset, England. When the r ...

, United States. The crash led to the longest missing aircraft search in the state's history, lasting almost three years. Media attention eventually resulted in congressional legislation mandating improved emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) be installed in U.S.-registered business jets.

Crash information

The aircraft involved,

registration Register or registration may refer to: Arts entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), th ...

N388LS, was operated by the Aircraft Charter Group and flown by pilots Johan Schwartz and Patrick Hayes for a

repositioning flight Ferry flying is the flying of aircraft for the purpose of returning to base, delivery to a customer, moving from one base of operations to another or moving to or from a maintenance facility for maintenance, repair, and operations. A commercial ...

Lebanon, New Hampshire Lebanon is a city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,282 at the 2020 census, up from 13,151 at the 2010 census. Lebanon is in western New Hampshire, south of Hanover, near the Connecticut River. It is the home ...

. They left

Sikorsky Memorial Airport Igor I. Sikorsky Memorial Airport is a public airport in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, owned by the city of Bridgeport. It is three miles (6 km) southeast of downtown, in the town of Stratford. It was formerly Bridgeport M ...

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

at 09:19 am, and 25 minutes later were flying the approach into Lebanon Municipal Airport. After one attempt at the

instrument landing system In aviation, the instrument landing system (ILS) is a precision radio navigation system that provides short-range guidance to aircraft to allow them to approach a runway at night or in bad weather. In its original form, it allows an aircraft to ...

approach, the crew reported that they were unable to receive the

localizer An instrument landing system localizer, or simply localizer (LOC), is a system of horizontal guidance in the instrument landing system, which is used to guide aircraft along the axis of the runway. Principle of operation In aviation, a localiz ...

, when they were actually several miles off course. They presumed ground equipment failure, and the pilot told the tower that he was executing a

missed approach Missed approach is a procedure followed by a pilot when an instrument approach cannot be completed to a full-stop landing. The instructions for the missed approach may be assigned by air traffic control (ATC) prior to the clearance for the approac ...

. The aircraft's last radar contact was as it proceeded outbound, 7 nautical miles (13 km) northeast of the

VOR VOR or vor may refer to: Organizations * Vale of Rheidol Railway in Wales * Voice of Russia, a radio broadcaster * Volvo Ocean Race, a yacht race Science, technology and medicine * VHF omnidirectional range, a radio navigation aid used in a ...

, at . As the business jet neared the inbound course to the VOR, the captain called out the outer marker. The first officer agreed, and the captain stated that they could descend to 2,300 ft. Shortly thereafter, the first officer stated that he was descending the aircraft to 2,300 ft. Three seconds later, the Learjet impacted trees, then terrain. The wreckage was located at an altitude of 2,300 ft, on rising mountainous terrain, 061° magnetic, 12.5 nautical miles from the VOR. The weather conditions were raining and foggy at the time. Searches were mounted, unsuccessfully. The wreckage was found near

Smarts Mountain Smarts Mountain is a mountain in the town of Lyme in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. Smarts is flanked to the north by Mount Cube, at , and to the southwest by Holts Ledge, at . Although of only moderate elevation, Smarts is sepa ...

almost three years later, on November 13, 1999, about from the airport. Debris was spread over a area in dense forest. The aircraft had descended into the ground earlier than normal. The cause of the accident, as determined by the

National Transportation Safety Board The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incid ...

, was:

ELT regulations

The crashed aircraft had no ELT on board, as that class of aircraft when used for FAR Part 135 charter operations, was exempt from the federal requirements for this type of beacon. As a result, Congress directed the

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

to require the installation of 406 MHz ELTs in all business jets (replacing the 121.5 MHz units installed in some).

References

External links

Crash and search details
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Hampshire Learjet Crash, 1996

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

Accidents and incidents involving the Learjet 45 family Aviation accidents and incidents in New Hampshire Aviation accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain Disasters in New Hampshire Transportation in Grafton County, New Hampshire Learjet aircraft 1996 in New Hampshire Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1996 December 1996 events in the United States