NTSB Factual Report

On March 23, 2011, about 2250 eastern daylight time, a Dassault-Breguet model Falcon 10 business jet, N303FZ, was substantially damaged when it departed the runway during landing at Clark Regional Airport (KJVY), Sellersburg, Indiana. The captain, first officer, and sole passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Aviation Transport Solutions LLC, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a business flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight from Butler County Regional Airport (KHAO), Hamilton, Ohio, that departed about 2200.

The captain, an airline transport pilot, reported that he was the pilot-flying during the accident flight. After departure, the flight had to circumnavigate around numerous thunderstorms that affected the planned route of flight. When the flight was within 25 nautical miles (nm) of its intended destination, the flight crew canceled the instrument flight plan and concluded the flight under visual flight rules. The local weather conditions were obtained from the destination airport's automatic weather observing system. The captain noted the wind was from 310 degrees at 19 knots, gusting 27 knots. A 5 nm straight-in final approach was flown to runway 36 (5,500 feet by 100 feet). The captain reported that the landing reference speed (Vref) was 110 knots, which included a 5 knot gust factor. As the airplane touched down on its main landing gear, it encountered a wind gust that raised the left wing. The captain corrected with a left roll input as he simultaneously reduced the airplane's pitch in an attempt to place the nose wheel onto the runway, but the airplane became airborne and drifted off the runway. The airplane touched down for the second time in the grassy area alongside the runway where the subsequent landing roll was completed without further incident. The captain reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

A postaccident examination of the airframe revealed that the right main landing gear had shifted/twisted inside the wheel well damaging both forward and aft spar assemblies. Additionally, the aft movement of the nose landing gear had damaged the forward pressure bulkhead. Both engines appeared to have ingested foreign object debris past their first compressor stages.

The nearest aviation weather observation station with recorded historical weather information was at Bowman Field Airport (KLOU), about 10 nm south of destination airport, which was equipped with an automated surface observing system (ASOS).

At 2253, the KLOU ASOS reported the following weather conditions: Wind 310 degrees at 22 knots, gusting 29 knots; visibility 10 miles; sky clear; temperature 14 degrees Celsius; dew point 4 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 29.65 inches of mercury. The report also noted a peak wind velocity was recorded at 2223 measuring 38 knots from 310 degrees.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during landing in strong and gusty wind conditions.