Date:	Monday 15 May 2023
Time:	12:47
Type:	Learjet 35A
Owner/operator:	GFD Aviation
Registration:	D-CGFQ
MSN:	35A-676
Year of manufacture:	1993
Total airframe hrs:	9846 hours
Cycles:	6739 flights
Engine model:	Honeywell TFE731-2-2B
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Hohn Air Base (ETNH) -   Germany
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Hohn Air Base (ETNH)
Destination airport:	Hohn Air Base (ETNH)
Investigating agency:	BFU
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
A Learjet 35 crashed during takeoff from runway 26 at Hohn Air Base, Germany.

On the day of the occurrence, six Learjet flight crews of the operator involved planned to take off almost at the same time from Hohn Military Airport to different missions. The airplane involved was the third to take off.
Two pilots were on board of the Learjet 35A. The Pilot Flying (PF) sat in the left-hand seat and the Pilot Monitoring (PM) in the right.
It was planned to fly from Hohn to Wunstorf Military Airport and conduct several instrument approaches for training purposes of the local air traffic control personnel. At the same time, the flight was to be used as proficiency check for the pilot in the left-hand seat for his type and instrument rating for Learjet 20/30.
The airrcraft taxied to the runway and at 12:37, while still on taxiway C3, the take-off emergency briefing was performed with the words: "[...] when airborne keine [no] Items ausser [except] gear below 500 ft, continue climb, in real life accelerate to V2 plus 30, Klappen [flaps] rein, slight climb weiter auf [to] [...]". At 12:38 another Learjet received take-off clearance with simulated engine failure from the Tower. That flight crew asked over the radio if the single engine take-off was approved and the Tower once again acknowledged it. After the take-off of that Learjet, the flight crew taxied with the airplane involved on the runway to Ramp 1, turned and waited for the clearance to line up on runway 26. At 12:44, the flight crew received the instruction to roll on to runway 26 and wait. They completed the Line-up check and the Before Take-off check. They planned to take-off with flaps 8° and engine full thrust with N1 of 96.6%. After they had received take-off clearance at about 12:47 the airplane accelerated and took off.

According to the CVR recording, after take-off the PF instructed the PM to retract the landing gear and engage the Yaw Damper. At 12:47:39, the PM responded with: "Vorab verlierst du simuliert das rechte Triebwerk (in advance, you will lose the right
engine)", the PF acknowledged it by saying: "Copy, gear up". Then the thrust of the right engine reduced, the left engine maintained the set take-off thrust. At that time, indicated speed was about 160 kt, according to the FDR. At 12:47:44, the PF instructed: "Damper on". At 12:47:45, the PM answered "Jawohl (yes)", almost at the same time the PF said quietly: "Oh shit". At 12:47:44, the PF called out loud several times: "Fuck" and at 12:47:54 the PM several times "Shit". At 12:47:55, the last recording was the landing gear warning generated by the airplane: "Too low".
From the PM’s announcement about the simulated engine failure at 12:47:39 until the impact, Hohn Tower transmitted traffic information regarding two Tornado aircraft in the vicinity and instructed the frequency change to Hohn Radar.
Witnesses observed that the airplane performed a sort of snap roll and then crashed to the ground at the end of the runway. On impact, an explosive fireball occurred. The pilots suffered fatal injuries and the airplane was destroyed.

Conclusions:
The accident, loss of control of the airplane, was the result of an untimely or significantly too low rudder deflection to correct the asymmetric thrust after initiation of a simulated engine failure. The large yaw angle resulted in a stall of the vertical tail and on the wing and an uncontrolled roll of the airplane.
It was not possible to determine without doubt the reason for the untimely or significantly too low rudder deflection.

10:20 UTC / 12:20 local time:
ETNH 151020Z 03007KT 9999 FEW050 21/03 Q1010 BLU+BLU+

10:50 UTC / 12:50 local time:
ETNH 151050Z 07006KT 9999 FEW050 21/04 Q1010 BLU+BLU+

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Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Jun-2024 09:53	ASN	Updated [Location, Narrative, Accident report]
14-Jun-2024 09:56	ASN	Updated [Nature, Destination airport]