Bombardier Challenger 604 accident near Wichita

The accident of a Bombardier Challenger 604 of Bombardier near Wichita occurred on 10 October 2000. On that day a Bombardier Challenger 604 (Canadair CL-600-2B16 Challenger 604) crashed to the ground after a loss of control immediately after takeoff on a Bombardier Aerospace test flight, killing two of the three occupants.

Accident sequence

On that day test flights were carried out with the aircraft in order to be certified by the British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). As a result of flights carried out in 1999, the CAA had handed Bombardier a list of unacceptable deficiencies that had to be rectified for certification. One of the items was maintenance of the pitch feel simulator. After ground tests in Wichita, flight tests were to be carried out with the modified pitch feel simulator. The flight crew was to carry out a standard takeoff from Wichita in order to test the pitch feel simulator after a climb to 8,000 feet. A weight distribution towards the tail was planned for the test. Before the flight the crew was briefed. A Bombardier flight test director gave a risk analysis, in which he assessed the risks on the flight to be carried out as low. At 14:48:45 takeoff clearance was given and air traffic control instructed the crew to fly a heading of 230 degrees after takeoff. The aircraft began its takeoff run from runway 19R immediately afterwards. Immediately after reaching the takeoff safety speed V2, the stick shaker activated, whereupon the captain uttered an expression of astonishment (Whew!) and the first officer asked him what he was doing (What are you doing?). At 14:49:53 the cockpit voice recorder recorded the warning Bank angle, which warned of a critical roll angle, as well as an audible stall warning tone lasting 1.1 seconds. The Bank angle warning then sounded four more times. At 14:49:58 and for the following two seconds the stick shaker activated again and the captain said "Wait a moment!" (Hang on.). Immediately afterwards the sound of the stick shaker could again be heard on the cockpit voice recorder, and the first officer again asked the captain what he was doing. Thereupon a stall warning sounded once more, as well as the Bank angle warning. The aircraft rolled to the right and its right wing made ground contact; it then crashed to the ground and exploded. The aircraft continued to skid across the ground, broke through the airport perimeter fence and came to a stop next to a two-lane road. Two of the three occupants were killed in the accident. The first officer was seriously injured and succumbed to his injuries 36 days after the accident. Since, according to the ICAO, fatalities in aircraft accidents only count as such if they die within 30 days of an aircraft accident, the first officer is not listed as a fatality in the official statistics.