Hyrulien :
Mach tuck. Icing and moderate turbulence can lead to a phenomenon called Mach tuck. It is particularly common in older Learjets, including the Learjet 60. Essentially, you exceed the maximum airspeed at altitude and enter a situation that can become extremely difficult, sometimes nearly impossible, to recover from. You continue to accelerate while losing the ability to maintain normal aerodynamic control of the aircraft. Further description: as you exceed the critical Mach range, shockwaves develop over the wing and the center of pressure shifts further behind the wing, creating a strong nose-down pitching tendency. This is what causes Mach tuck. The aircraft starts losing altitude like a falling dart, which in turn causes it to gain even more airspeed, creating a vicious cycle. All pilots are aware of these limitations, some just push too close to the maximum speed threshold. When you experience clear air turbulence or other factors like icing that can push you beyond that threshold, while also compromising the aircraft's normal aerodynamic characteristics, things can get very dangerous. Wrap up: icing critically changes the shape of the wing and adds weight to the plane (double whammy, but mainly the airflow issue over the wing). Learjets are vulnerable to overspeed situations because of their relatively small, sleek, unforgiving wings, designed in the name of efficiency and performance. Mix all of that together with moderate turbulence, which can cause sudden airspeed fluctuations and changes in loading, and you have a potentially catastrophic situation. The result can be a lawn dart scenario, just like what you see here. Very sad.
2026-11-02 20:43:35