The fatal 10 October 2000 Bombardier Challenger 604 test flight accident shortly after take-off at Wichita airport, Kansas was caused by the pilot's excessive rotation during an aft centre of gravity (CG) take-off, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board's report. The aircraft stalled "too low for a successful recovery", says the NTSB. A rearward migration of fuel during acceleration and take-off and consequent shift in the aircraft's planned aft CG to aft of the limit contributed to the accident, as did Bombardier's "inadequate flight planning procedures for the Challenger flight test programme and the lack of direct, on-site operational oversight by Transport Canada and the Federal Aviation Administration", says the report.
Source: Flight International
