Rockwell Sabreliner 60

On Saturday January 23, 2021, a Sabreliner with registration XB-JMR on a domestic Flight Plan with two pilots on board departed Guadalajara for Queretaro in Mexico. On reaching a cruising altitude of 20,000 feet the crew changed destination and shortly after disappeared off Mexican Radar. Mexican Authorities suspect the Transponder was turned off by the crew. The aircraft entered the Kingston Flight Information Region (KIN FIR) without a filed Flight Plan, south of Jamaica and at approximately 6:14pm local the crew declared an emergency. The crew reported to Air Traffic Control that they were at 10,000 feet and 14 miles from land and on a heading of 055 degrees (heading north-east). The crew requested instructions to land at the nearest airport due to one engine shut down. The aircraft was observed on radar heading in a north-east direction in the vicinity of the Vernamfield area then changed direction to a south-east heading. The aircraft began circling the Portland Cottage area in Clarendon, 'squawking' Transponder code A1327 and climbing out of 17,000 feet at 6:20pm local. Search and Rescue was initiated with the Jamaica Defence Force at 6:22pm local. On reaching 18,000 feet the aircraft disappeared from radar at 6:34pm local - Transponder possibly turned off by crew. The Aircraft impacted the shoreline south-east of the White Sand Beach area of Rocky Point in Clarendon (17°45'55.69"N 77°15'42.94"W) at approximately 6:39pm local. On Sunday January 24, 2021, a site visit was conducted by personnel from the Operations and Airworthiness units of the Flight Safety Division. With assistance from the Security Forces, photographic evidence of the site was collected. The crash site and the aircraft were vandalized. The aircraft may have made a gear up/flaps up landing. Left-wing leading-edge slats were deployed indicating low airspeed and possible high angle of attack at time of impact.

The aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in an isolated and uninhabited area located about 14 km east of Bajamar, Honduras. The airplane was engaged in an illegal mission (drug smuggling flight) as a pack of cocaine and a gun were found in the wreckage. The crew disappeared and was not recovered.

The Cessna 172 (N1285U) was conducting touch-and-go landings at Brown Field Municipal Airport (SDM), San Diego, California, and the experimental North American Rockwell NA265-60SC Sabreliner (N442RM, call sign Eagle1) was returning to SDM from a mission flight. SDM has two parallel runways, 8R/26L and 8L/26R; it is common in west operations for controllers to use a right traffic pattern for both runways 26R and 26L due to the proximity of Tijuana Airport, Tijuana, Mexico, to the south of SDM. On the morning of the accident, the air traffic control tower (ATCT) at SDM had both control positions (local and ground control) in the tower combined at the local control position, which was staffed by a local controller (LC)/controller-in-charge, who was conducting on-the-job training with a developmental controller (LC trainee). The LC trainee was transmitting control instructions for all operations; however, the LC was monitoring the LC trainee's actions and was responsible for all activity at that position. About 13 minutes before the accident, the N1285U pilot contacted the ATCT and requested touch-andgo landings in the visual flight rules (VFR) traffic pattern. About that time, another Cessna 172 (N6ZP) and a helicopter (N8360R) were conducting operations in the VFR traffic pattern, and a Cessna 206 Stationair (N5058U) was inbound for landing. Over the next 5 minutes, traffic increased, with two additional aircraft inbound for landing. (Figure 1 in the factual report for this accident shows the aircraft in the SDM traffic pattern about 8 minutes before the accident.) The LC trainee cleared the N1285U pilot for a touch-and-go on runway 26R; the pilot acknowledged the clearance and then advised the LC trainee that he was going to go around. The LC trainee advised the N1285U pilot to expect runway 26L on the next approach. At that time, three aircraft were using runway 26R (Global Express [N18WZ] was inbound for landing, N6ZP was on a right base for a touch-and-go, and a Cessna Citation [XALVV] was on short final) and three aircraft were using runway 26L (N1285U was turning right downwind for the touch-and-go, a Skybolt [N81962] was on a left downwind for landing, and N8360R was conducting a touch-and-go landing). After N1285U completed the touch-andgo on runway 26L, the pilot entered a right downwind for runway 26R. Meanwhile, Eagle1 was 9 miles west of the airport and requested a full-stop landing; the LC trainee instructed the Eagle1 flight crew to enter a right downwind for runway 26R at or above an altitude of 2,000 ft mean sea level. At this time, about 3 minutes before the accident, the qualified LC terminated the LC trainee's training and took over control of radio communications. From this time until the collision occurred, the LC was controlling nine aircraft. (Figure 2 and Figure 4 in the factual report for this accident show the total number of aircraft under ATCT control shortly before the accident.) During the next 2 minutes, the LC made several errors. For example, after N6ZP completed a touch-andgo on runway 26R, the pilot requested a right downwind departure from the area, which the LC initially failed to acknowledge. The LC also instructed the N5058U pilot, who had been holding short of runway 26L, that he was cleared for takeoff from runway 26R. Both errors were corrected. In addition, the LC instructed the helicopter pilot to "listen up. turn crosswind" before correcting the instruction 4 seconds later to "turn base." (Figure 2 in the factual report for this accident shows the aircraft in the traffic pattern about 2 minutes before the accident.) About 1 minute before the collision, the Eagle1 flight crew reported on downwind midfield and stated that they had traffic to the left and right in sight. At that time, N1285U was to Eagle1's right, between Eagle1 and the tower, and established on a right downwind about 500 ft below Eagle1's position. N6ZP was about 1 mile forward and to the left of Eagle1, heading northeast and departing the area. Mistakenly identifying the Cessna to the right of Eagle1 as N6ZP, the LC instructed the N6ZP pilot to make a right 360° turn to rejoin the downwind when, in fact, N1285U was the airplane to the right of Eagle1. (The LC stated in a postaccident interview that he thought the turn would resolve the conflict with Eagle1 and would help the Cessna avoid Eagle1's wake turbulence.) The N6ZP pilot acknowledged the LC's instruction and began turning; N1285U continued its approach to runway 26R. However, the LC never visually confirmed that the Cessna to Eagle1's right (N1285U) was making the 360° turn. Ten seconds later, the LC instructed the Eagle1 flight crew to turn base and land on runway 26R, which put the accident airplanes on a collision course. The LC looked to ensure that Eagle1 was turning as instructed and noticed that the Cessna on the right downwind (which he still mistakenly identified as N6ZP) had not begun the 360° turn that he had issued. The LC called the N6ZP pilot, and the pilot responded that he was turning. In the first communication between the LC and the N1285U pilot (and the first between the controllers in the ATCT and that airplane's pilot in almost 6 minutes), the LC transmitted the call sign of N1285U, which the pilot acknowledged. N1285U and Eagle1 collided as the LC tried to verify N1285U's position. A postaccident examination of both airplanes did not reveal any mechanical anomalies that would have prevented the airplanes from maneuvering to avoid an impact.

On approach to West Palm Beach Airport, the crew encountered technical problems with the undercarriage that could not be lowered. The crew decided to return to his base in Fort Lauderdale. On final, the crew was again unable to lower the gear so the decision was taken to complete a wheels-up landing. The airplane landed on its belly on runway 08 then slid for few dozen metres before coming to rest. The occupants escaped uninjured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Following an uneventful flight from Tijuana, the aircraft landed too far down the runway 28 at Mexicali-General Rodolfo Sanchez Taboada Airport. Unable to stop within the remaining distance, it overran, rolled for about 750 metres, collided with an embankment and came to rest in a sandy area. All six occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The aircraft had the dual registration XC-PFN (civil) and PF-213 (military).

The aircraft was completing a cargo service from Salta to Córdoba with an intermediate stop in San Miguel de Tucumán, carrying one passenger and two pilots. En route to Córdoba, the crew was cleared to descend to an altitude of 8,000 feet and later for an ILS approach to runway 18. By night and IMC conditions, the aircraft descended below the MDA when it crashed in an open field located 11,4 km short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed and all three occupants were killed.

Upon landing at the completion of a cross country flight, the captain of the turbojet aircraft employed aerodynamic braking and thrust reverse to slow the airplane to about 60 knots. The captain was allowing the airplane to roll toward the end of the runway where the owner/copilot's hanger was located. With about 4,000 feet of runway remaining, the captain applied the brakes. No braking action was noted. The airplane continued off the end of the runway, through a fence and block wall into a parking lot where the left wing of the airplane was severed. A post crash fire consumed about half of the airplane. Emergency braking procedures were not employed. The crew reported that the were unable to shut down the engines. The copilot lacked experience in the aircraft and crew coordination during the approach, landing, and emergency was ineffective. The airplane traveled about 11,000 feet from point of touchdown to point of rest. Examination of the braking and hydraulic systems failed to pinpoint a malfunction.

The aircraft was completing a charter flight from Cuernavaca to Chihuahua with an intermediate stop in Torreón, carrying eight passengers and a crew of three. After passing Delicias VOR at an altitude of 10,000 feet, the crew started the descent but failed to follow the published procedures. At an altitude of 7,000 feet on descent, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located 42 km south of Chihuahua Airport. The aircraft was totally destroyed upon impact and all 11 occupants were killed.

While on a night approach to Lancaster-Fairfield County Airport, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the airplane struck tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located few miles short of runway. The aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire and all three crew members were killed.