Uploaded January 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
On December 27, 2021, a Learjet 35A crashed into a neighborhood in El Cajon, Calif., killing the pilot, copilot, and two flight nurses. No one on the ground was injured. The airplane, operating under Part 135 of the FAA regulations as an air ambulance flight, was returning to its home base at Gillespie Field (KSEE) after its third and final flight of the day. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were three miles visibility in light mist at night under layers of scattered and broken clouds at 1,100 and 2,000 feet above ground level (AGL), respectively.
In Early Analysis: N880Z, the AOPA Air Safety Institute makes a preliminary assessment of the accident, addressing notable portions of the tragic flight and highlighting areas the NTSB will likely investigate to determine a probable cause.
To help make videos like these possible, consider donating to the AOPA Foundation: aopa.org/donation/oneclickdonation?keycode=R2014WASIUT
Watch more videos by the AOPA Air Safety Institute on our channel: youtube.com/AirSafetyInstitute
On December 27, 2021, a Learjet 35A crashed into a neighborhood in El Cajon, Calif., killing the pilot, copilot, and two flight nurses. No one on the ground was injured. The airplane, operating under Part 135 of the FAA regulations as an air ambulance flight, was returning to its home base at Gillespie Field (KSEE) after its third and final flight of the day. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were three miles visibility in light mist at night under layers of scattered and broken clouds at 1,100 and 2,000 feet above ground level (AGL), respectively.
In Early Analysis: N880Z, the AOPA Air Safety Institute makes a preliminary assessment of the accident, addressing notable portions of the tragic flight and highlighting areas the NTSB will likely investigate to determine a probable cause.
To help make videos like these possible, consider donating to the AOPA Foundation: aopa.org/donation/oneclickdonation?keycode=R2014WASIUT
Watch more videos by the AOPA Air Safety Institute on our channel: youtube.com/AirSafetyInstitute
