Kreindler Monitoring Fatal Honda HA-420 HondaJet Airplane Crash Near Falcon Field Airport in Mesa, Arizona
November 9, 2024
Attorneys
What Happened
On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, a Honda HA-420 HondaJet airplane overran the runway during an aborted take-off attempt and went through a airport perimeter fence and onto an adjacent road and crashed into a car just outside the Mesa-Falcon Field Airport (FFZ) in Arizona.
According to Air Data News, this is the first HondaJet incident that has resulted in fatalities. AZFamily news reported that four of the five onboard the Honda HA-420 aircraft, as well as the driver of the car, were killed in the fiery crash. The fifth airplane passenger survived and was taken to an area hospital. The Honda jet was preparing to take off from the Mesa airport en route to Provo Airport in Utah.
According to the FAA Registry, the registered owner of the HondaJet private airplane is Ice Man Holdings, LLC of Mesa, AZ. AZ Central reports that 2 of the occupants of the plane are listed as managing members of the LLC. The Honda HA-420 involved in Tuesday’s crash was a fixed-wing multi-engine aircraft powered by turbo-fan engines.
About the Honda HA-420 HondaJet Airplane
The Honda HA-420 HondaJet is a business jet made by the Honda Aircraft Company, located in Greensboro, North Carolina. The aircraft was initially conceived in 1997 and first flown at the end of 2003. The aircraft is the first business jet in the world to incorporate an “Over-The-Wing Engine Mount,” which Honda says allows the HondaJet to “fly faster, higher, and further than other aircraft in its class.” Most business jets place their engines under the wing. The HondaJet received its flight airworthiness type certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2015. By early 2024, 250 HondaJets had been delivered. The aircraft is a six, or seven-seater with an aluminum wing and a composite fuselage. The HA-420 plane is powered by two GE Honda HF120 turbofans mounted on pylons above the wing.
In the Media
Preliminary Investigation
According to an AZFamily news report, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the Honda HA-420 jet at a secure facility.
According to the AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) article, A Matter of Speed, the recommended maximum speed at which a pilot can safely abort a takeoff in the Honda HA-420 (known as V1, or takeoff decision speed) is 110 KIAS (Knots Indicated Airspeed). Data from the flight data platform ADS-B Exchange suggests that the Honda airplane was traveling at 133 knots groundspeed prior to the attempt to abort the takeoff.