Hop-A-Jet Flight 823 was a chartered U.S. domestic flight operated by Hop-A-Jet from Ohio State University Airport in Columbus, Ohio, to Naples Airport in Naples, Florida. Shortly before landing on February 9, 2024, the pilots reported a dual engine failure and attempted to land on Interstate 75. The aircraft, a Bombardier Challenger 604, was destroyed and consumed by a post-crash fire. Both pilots were killed, but the two passengers and the sole flight attendant on board survived.
Background
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Bombardier Challenger 604 with manufacturer's serial number 5584 and registered as N823KD.[1] The aircraft was built in 2004[2] and can carry up to 12 passengers.[1] The aircraft was owned by East Shore Aviation LLC[2] and was operated by Ace Aviation Services, doing business as Hop-A-Jet Worldwide Jet Charter, a private jet travel company based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[1][3] The airplane's most recent continuous airworthiness inspection was completed on January 5, 2024, at which time the aircraft had accumulated 9,763 total hours of operation.[3]
Crew
The aircraft was under the command of Captain Edward Daniel Murphy (50) and First Officer Ian Frederick Hofmann (65).[4] The captain had accrued 10,525 total hours of flight experience, of which 2,808 hours were in the Bombardier Challenger 600 series. The first officer had accrued 24,618 total hours of flight experience, of which 138 hours were in the Bombardier Challenger 600 series.[3]
Accident
As the plane approached Naples Airport, the pilots radioed to air traffic controllers that both engines had failed, later adding that they would not be able to make it to the runway. The pilots attempted to land on Interstate 75 near mile marker 107. As the aircraft approached the road surface, it collided with a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and a Nissan Armada SUV, erupted in flames, and came to rest against a concrete wall at the side of the southbound lanes.[5][6][7] Both pilots were killed, but the two passengers and flight attendant on board survived.[8] The flight attendant was able to help the passengers evacuate through the baggage compartment door in the tail section of the airplane.[3][4] The driver of the pickup truck, a 48-year-old Naples man, suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital.[9] The aircraft was destroyed by the post-crash fire.[3]
Flight data recorder timeline
After a preliminary review of the data recovered from the airplane's flight data recorder, the NTSB provided the following timeline of key events:[3]
3:08 PM – The Naples Airport tower controller cleared the flight to land on runway 23. According to Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS–B) track data, the airplane was about 6.5 miles (5.6 nmi; 10.5 km) north of the airport at an altitude of about 2,000 feet (610 m) and traveling at 166 knots (307 km/h; 191 mph).
3:09:33 PM – "L ENGINE OIL PRESSURE" master warning activates, indicating the oil pressure in the left engine is critically low.[10]
3:09:34 PM – "R ENGINE OIL PRESSURE" master warning activates, indicating the oil pressure in the right engine is critically low. The system alerted pilots of these two warnings with the illumination of a red "Master Warning" light, a red message on the engine-indicating and crew-alerting system and a triple chime voice advisory ("Engine oil").
3:09:40 PM – "ENGINE" master warning activates, indicating an abnormal condition in the fan rotor, compressor rotor, or inter-turbine temperature.[10]
3:10:05 PM – The crew radios the tower controller, "…lost both engines… emergency… making an emergency landing." The tower controller acknowledged the call and cleared the airplane to land. The aircraft was at an altitude of about 1,000 feet (300 m) and traveling at 122 knots (140 mph; 226 km/h).
3:10:12 PM – The crew replies to the tower controller, "We are cleared to land but we are not going to make the runway… ah… we have lost both engines." The aircraft was at an altitude of about 900 feet (270 m) and traveling at 115 knots (213 km/h; 132 mph). There were no further transmissions from the flight crew.
3:10:47 PM – ADS–B track data ends directly over Interstate 75.
The southbound lanes of Interstate 75 remained closed until Sunday, February 11, as crews examined the wreckage. Before the road was reopened, the wreckage was moved to a secure facility in Jacksonville for additional evaluation. The agency said it would also send the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder to agency headquarters in Washington, D.C.[11]
