This project, which has been named , also aims to mark the centenary of the first aerial circumnavigation of the globe, which was completed in 1924 by eight members of the U.S. Army Air Service flying on four specially modified DT-2 torpedo bomber aircraft.聽

On this occasion, the aircraft has been provided by Global Jet Care, an air ambulance services provider based in Florida. The expedition, which seeks to complete the journey in the space of 60 hours, is also being supported by a number of private sponsors. 

The funds raised by this initiative are destined to fund the restoration back to flying condition of one of the first production Learjets, an airframe that was delivered in 1964. 

The Century Mission set off from Wichita, Kansas, a city that精东影业 the historical home of the Learjet production line. 

The flight path will take Global Jetcare founder Bart Gray and four other pilots and crew members in a westbound direction, with stopovers planned at 11 different airports in California, Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Singapore, India, Dubai, Egypt, Italy, Portugal and Canada. If everything goes according to plan, the voyagers are expected to touch down again in Wichita 54 hours and 30 minutes after their initial departure. 

The crash killed four of the six people on board, including both pilots. Barker and Goldstein survived but suffered severe burns and other injuries.聽聽

The 2008 South Carolina Learjet 60 crash raised serious concerns about charter aviation safety and changed how operators approach flight safety. 

Flight, airport, and aircraft involved

Barker and Goldstein were flying from South Carolina to Van Nuys (VNY) in Southern California, following a performance in Columbia as a duo going by the title TRV$DJAM. Also on board were Barker’s security guard, Charles Monroe Still Jr, and his personal assistant, Chris Baker. The addition of the two-person flight crew brought the total number of occupants to six.

The flight was operated by Global Exec Aviation, a charter company based in Long Beach, California.聽

At the time of the accident, Columbia Metropolitan Airport was a medium-sized airport with two runways at 2,622 meters (8,601 feet) and 2,439 meters (8,001 feet) long, plus a modern air traffic control (ATC) tower. The accident occurred on the longest available runway, Runway 11. 

The aircraft involved was a Learjet 60, a popular mid-size business jet known for its good safety record and ability to accommodate up to eight passengers. The plane was relatively new, having made its first flight in 2006. 

Accident unfolding

The accident occurred during takeoff, at 23:53 local time on September 19th, 2008. As the plane was gaining speed, the individuals onboard allegedly heard a loud noise. The pilots promptly notified ATC about the sound, and the controllers stated that they could see sparks emanating from the jet. The crew decided to abandon takeoff, suspecting that a tire blowout had caused the noise. 
 
However, it was already too late, as the jet had accelerated beyond V1 speed (the maximum speed at which an aircraft must continue the takeoff, even in the event of an engine failure) and overshot the runway. The aircraft then collided with localizer antennas and a perimeter fence before bursting into flames. 

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation, the aircraft failed to gain sufficient speed during takeoff and overran the runway. NTSB also determined that the tire burst was a result of insufficient maintenance and severe under-inflation. The accident’s probable cause was the pilot’s failure to properly maintain the aircraft’s airspeed during takeoff, leading to the aircraft’s inability to become airborne. 

Sadly, Chris Baker and Charles Monroe Still Jr lost their lives upon collision, while the two pilots, Captain Sarah Lemmon (31) and first officer James Bland (52), died due to a combination of burns and smoke inhalation caused by the fire. 

Recovery of Travis Barker and Adam Goldstein

Travis Barker and Adam Goldstein suffered severe burns and other injuries in the crash. Barker underwent 16 surgeries and skin grafts and spent several months in the hospital, having sustained burns covering around 65% of his body. Despite suffering from third-degree burns on his arms and head, Goldstein spent only one week in the hospital.  

The crash also had a profound emotional impact on Barker, who later stated that it was a “defining moment” that led him to focus more on his family and personal life. During touring after the accident, Barker refrained from flying due to post-traumatic stress disorder. As reported by TMZ, in August 2021, he did board a plane again, marking almost 13 years since the incident.

Sadly, Adam Goldstein passed away in August 2009 due to a drug overdose in New York City, at the age of just 36.聽

At the time of the accident, Barker was not touring with Blink-182 as they were on hiatus. However, Blink-182 reunited in 2009 and the band remains active to this day. 

The lessons learned, and safety measures adopted by airlines 

The Travis Barker plane crash proved to be a wake-up call and led to multiple changes in flight safety procedures. Some of the measures consequently adopted by operators include:聽

• Increased emphasis on聽on-demand flight crew聽training and education, particularly in the areas of takeoff and landing procedures.聽
• Improved communication between pilots and ATC to ensure that aircraft receive timely and accurate information.聽

• Enhanced safety regulations for charter and private flights, including more rigorous safety inspections and maintenance requirements.聽
• Greater use of technology to improve aircraft safety, including advanced avionics systems and better runway lighting and marking.

Find out more about Travis Barker’s recovery from the near-fatal plane crash:

According to the (NTSB), the pilot of the LearJet 60, operated by charter firm Hop-a-Jet, was instructed by an airport controller to line up and wait (LUAW) on runway 9. 

Around the same time, a JetBlue Embraer ERJ 190-100 arriving from Nashville, had been given clearance to land on runway 4R. Runways 4R and 9 are intersecting.聽

Despite the flight crew of the LearJet reading back the controller精东影业 instructions to LUAW, they began the take-off roll instead. 

The airport surface detection equipment, model X (ASDE-X) then alerted, and the controller immediately issued go-around instructions to the landing Embraer.  

The JetBlue first officer managed to initiate a go-around moments before reaching the area where the runways cross. 

In a photo released by the NTSB taken from the Embraer cockpit, the LearJet can be seen in the near distance taking off in front of the landing plane.  

The closest proximity between the two airplanes occurred when the JetBlue flight was about 30 feet (9 meters) above ground level.

The LearJet pilot told the NTSB that he heard the LUAW instruction and 鈥減robably responded to the clearance, but in his mind, they were cleared for take-off鈥�.聽

鈥淚 cannot understand what happened to me during the clearance, the only thing that comes to my mind is that the cold temperature in Boston affected me, I was not feeling completely well and had a stuffed nose,鈥� the LearJet pilot explained. 

The NTSB concluded that the probable cause of the incident was that the 鈥淗op-a-Jet flight crew taking off without a take-off clearance鈥�. 

After Boeing 737NG display unit blanking incidents, FAA is addressing the issue

• Aircraft
• Aviation Safety

byRytis Beresnevicius

2023-08-03

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released details of the incident which unfolded shortly before 7pm on 27 February 2023, at Boston International Airport (BOS).

According to the FAA the pilot of the JetBlue plane, arriving from Nashville, was forced to take 鈥渆vasive action鈥� to avoid the Learjet, operated by HopAJet as a charter flight.

A statement from the aviation authority on February 28, 2023 read: 鈥淭he pilot of a Learjet 60 took off without clearance while JetBlue Flight 206 was preparing to land on an intersecting runway.”

The statement detailed how the Learjet pilot was told by air traffic control to 鈥渓ine up and wait” before taking off.

“An air traffic controller instructed the pilot of the Learjet to line up and wait on Runway 9 while the JetBlue Embraer 190 landed on Runway 4-Right, which intersects Runway 9. The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a take-off roll instead,” read the FAA statement.

As part of the investigation the FAA will determine how close the two aircraft came together.

Air traffic tracking service Flightradar24 believes the closest distance between the planes was just over 550ft.

The reported that JetBlue said in a statement: 鈥淥n Monday, February 27, JetBlue flight 206 landed safely in Boston after our pilots were instructed to perform a go-around by air traffic controllers. Safety is JetBlue精东影业 first priority and our crews are trained to react to situations like this.鈥�

The Boston airport near miss is the latest in a series of recent close calls under investigation by the FAA.

FAA launches investigation into incident where passenger tried to enter cockpit

• Airlines
• Aviation Safety

byRytis Beresnevicius

2023-02-23

The business jet, registration N880Z, was carrying two flight crew and two passengers when it crashed into a residential street while on approach to Gillespie Field (SEE) in El Cajon, San Diego County, according to a notice on the FAA精东影业 website.  

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in an update on December 28, 2021 that it has sent three investigators to the scene, who are expected to be there for about three days examining and documenting the evidence.  

The NTSB also provided some preliminary details of the accident, which occurred at 1914 local time on December 27, 2021 (0314 UTC, December 28). The aircraft was on an instrument approach to Runway 17 at SEE, but as it neared the airport, the pilot requested to change to a visual approach for Runway 27R.  The NTSB said shortly after receiving approval, the Learjet crashed into a residential area about 1.4 miles from the approach end of the runway.  

Local media reports cite witnesses as saying they saw flames and heard an explosion as the jet crashed. The NTSB is calling for witnesses or anyone with video footage of the crash of a Learjet in California to contact investigators via email at witness@ntsb.gov. 

Along with scouring the wreckage for clues as to what happened, investigators will also look to recover the aircraft精东影业 cockpit voice recorder.  The aircraft was not equipped with a flight data recorder, however, the NTSB said.  

Investigators from the NTSB expect to publish a preliminary report within a few weeks, while the final accident report will take between 12-24 months. 

Learjet crashes in San Diego, cuts power to neighborhood

• Aviation Safety

byValius Venckunas

2021-12-28

A ten-seat Learjet 35A business jet has crashed in the middle of the street in the Bostonia neighborhood, San Diego, United States. 

The aircraft manufacturer will cease production of Learjet business jet in the fourth quarter of 2021. The move will allow the manufacturer to switch its focus to more profitable Challenger and Global business aircraft development.

鈥淕iven the increasingly challenging market dynamics, we have made this difficult decision to end Learjet production,鈥� Bombardier CEO Eric Martel wrote in an annual financial report, noting that more than 3,000 Learjets have been delivered since the brand first entered the market in 1963.

Despite Learjet production shutdown, the company 鈥渨ill continue to fully support the Learjet fleet well into the future, and to this end, launched the Learjet RACER remanufacturing program for Learjet 40 and Learjet 45 aircraft.鈥� 

In the 2020 annual financial release, Bombardier said it would slash its overall workforce by approximately 1,600 positions, including reductions associated with Learjet shutdown and progress on the Global 7500 learning curve. 

Most of the projected job losses for Bombardier will occur in Canada and in Wichita, the United States. Job cuts would bring the company精东影业 global workforce to about 13,000 by the end of 2021.

Bombardier CEO said that layoffs were always difficult 鈥渂ut these reductions are absolutely necessary for us to rebuild our company while we continue to navigate through the pandemic.鈥�

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to take toll on Bombardier, such steps would move the company towards a cost-saving objective of $400 million annually by 2023, including $100 million in 2021, according to Bombardier financial report. 

Bombardier steps into share purchase deal with Lufthansa Technik

• MRO

byGabriele Petrauskaite

2020-10-22