Cargo Pilots’ Aileron Roll Attempt Damages Learjet

At about 3:30 a.m. on January 10, the pilots flying a cargo-carrying Learjet 35 from Jacksonville, Fla., to Columbus, Ohio, for Airnet Systems attempted an aileron roll, according to the NTSB, but the maneuver wasn’t entirely successful. “The crew reported they did an intentional roll,” said NTSB investigator-in-charge Todd Fox. “There was substantial damage. The elevators were bent, and there was some stabilizer damage. Major damage was to the left wing; there was a large crease in the stainless-steel leading edge.” Fox was told that this was the last flight for the Learjet captain before he was to move on to a new job flying passengers for a Part 121 airline. Fox’s Chicago NTSB office will release, probably this week, a data-collection report on the incident. Data-collection reports are a new short form that is a combination of the typical preliminary and factual reports, Fox explained.