Primary finding
Probable cause
The poor decisionmaking, poor airmanship, and relative inexperience of the captain in initiating and continuing an unstabilized instrument approach that led to a descent below the authorized altitude without visual contact with the runway environment. Contributing to the cause of the accident was the lack of a ground proximity warning system on the airplane. (ntsb report aar-95/02)
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The airplane crashed 0.8 nm south of the threshold of the runway during an ils approach in instrument meteorological conditions. The captain was not authorized to attempt the approach and was relatively inexperienced for an approach under the weather conditions. The captain failed to adhere to acceptable standards of airmanship during two unstabilized approaches. After the unsuccessful ils approach to runway 1r, the captain should have held for improvements in the weather, requested the runway 19l ils, or proceeded to his alternate. An operating gpws aboard the airplane would have provided continuous warning to the crew for the last 64 seconds of flight and might have prevented the accident.
Source record
Factual narrative
On June 18, 1994, at 0625 eastern daylight time, a Mexican registered Learjet 25D, XABBA, collided with the terrain during an instrument landing system (ILS) approach about 1/4 mile from the threshold of runway 1R at Dulles International Airport (IAD), Virginia. The certificated pilot; the certificated co-pilot; and all ten passengers received fatal injuries. The airplane was destroyed during the impact sequence. The airplane was being operated as a non-scheduled passenger charter flight by TAESA of Mexico City, Mexico, a 14 CFR 129 certificated carrier operating in the U. S. A. under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The flight departed Mexico at 2315 hours, re-fueled and cleared U. S. Customs in New Orleans, Louisiana, and departed there at 0355 hours. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight. The flight arrived in the Washington, DC area and executed an ILS approach to IAD. The flight crew executed a missed approach and was attempting a second ILS approach at the time of the crash. ADDITIONAL PERSONS(CONTINUED): MARK TAYLOR, GENERAL ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT ENGINES, 1000 WESTERN AVE., LYNN, MA 01910 -