Aircraft Accident Involving St. Louis Cardinals Coach Tony La Russa

Tony La Russa, long time major league baseball coach and coach of the St. Louis Cardinals since 1996, was a passenger in a private jet that was involved in a landing accident on 21 January 2004. The nonschedueld flight operated under FAR Part 91 and had departed from St. Louis at about 2315, and arrived in Pueblo at about 0040 local time. There were patches of snow and ice on the runway at the time of the landing.

After the thrust reversers were deployed, the crew was unable to keep the aircraft on the runway. The jet departed the left side of the runway, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the aircraft came to a stop. There was damage to the landing gear, wing and fuselage, but there was no post crash fire. The two crew members and three passengers were not injured.

Date: 21 January 2004
Location: Pueblo, CO
Operator: Jet Ex, Incorporated
Aircraft:Dassault Aviation DA-20 Falcon Jet, registration N200JE
NTSB Accident Identification Number: DEN04FA041

The NTSB concluded that the probable causes of the accident included the pilot's improper in-flight planning, his decision to land on the ice and snow contaminated runway, and a malfunction that resulted in only a partial deployment of the right the stuck thrust reverser solenoid resulting in partial deployment of the right engine thrust reverser, and the pilot's inability to maintain directional control of the airplane. The NTSB also identified the following contributing factors: a wet, snow-covered runway, the airport's failure to remove the snow from the runway, and the pilot's failure to recognize the reported hazardous runway conditions by air traffic control.

Additional Information
NTSB accident report
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