NTSB accident report

Airline Crash & Aviation Lawyer

How Do Airline Crashes Occur?

There are many different factors surrounding an airline crash that may have contributed to the accident. The NTSB was formed to investigate major airline crashes in order to analyze the factual information and determine from this a probable cause. In the majority of major airline crashes, there were certain factors that most often contributed to the cause of the accident, including:

Pilot Errors
Faulty Equipment
FAA Regulation
Violations
Problems in the
Design or Structure
of the Aircraft
Flight Service Station Employee Negligence
Federal Air Traffic Controller Negligence
Negligence in a Third Party Selection of a Carrier


Contact an aviation law lawyer to discuss your claim and get more information on the latest NTSB accident report

AVIATION FACTS

80% of plane crashes are not fatal but end up with death due to passengers not knowing the proper course of action to take.

An average of one time every day there is a safety-related accident, incident, or threat reported in the U.S., with the majority of incidents going unreported.

Aviation law includes federal and state governments that enact statues and create administrative agencies to regulation air traffic.

The press usually covers only major accidents that result in total and absolute fatalities.

The Federal Aviation Agency was established in 1958 with the passing of the Federal Aviation Act.


 

NTSB Accident Report

Accident Reports From the NTSB's 2002 Database

The NTSB's list of airline incidents covers the period from the start of 2002 up to the present.

If you, or any family members were aboard any of these airplane accidents, please contact us to speak with an aviation attorney.

On February 27, 2002, at 0601 central standard time, a Canadair CL-600-2B19, operated by Comair as flight 266, received minor damage during a failure of the number two engine during climb out from runway 29 (6,501 feet by 150 feet, concrete) at the Outagamie County Regional Airport (ATW), Appleton, Wisconsin. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 121 passenger flight was operating on an instrument rules flight plan. No injuries were reported. The flight was en route to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Covington, Kentucky.

The flight crew reported that there was a vibration while in a climbing turn through 3,000 feet msl and 4 nm from the departure end of runway 29. The flight crew shut down the number two engine and returned to land without further incident at ATW five minutes later. Post flight inspection revealed that a section of the number two engine, aft of the high-pressure turbine, separated from the airplane. The separated section was later found approximately at a location where the onset of vibration occurred.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.


On February 17, 2002, at approximately 0848 local time, Aerolineas Argentinas flight 1289, a Boeing 737-236, LV-ZRE, experienced a loss of pressurization and performed an emergency landing at San Juan, Argentina. Inspection of the airplane after landing found a small crack in the fuselage aft of the forward left door.

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On Sunday, February 3, 2002, a Delta Airlines MD-11, N803DE, was landing on runway 28 in Dublin, Ireland when it departed the paved surface and ran onto the soft ground. The airplane became bogged down in the mud. The passengers and crew deplaned using the aft stairs. No injuries were reported. There is localized damage to the engines, flaps, and undercarriage. The weather at the time was reported to be heavy rains and the winds were at 210 degrees at 15 knots with gusts up to 27 knots. After the incident the winds were reported to be gusting up to 42 knots.

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On January 31, 2002, at approximately 1325 Eastern Standard Time, an Embraer EMB-145, N265SK, operating as Chautauqua Airlines flight 4914 (d.b.a. US Airways Express) experienced a pitch trim failure shortly after takeoff from Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, Massachusetts. The flight crew declared an emergency and requested an immediate return to BOS as the aircraft continued to climb despite full nose down control column input. The flight crew was able to move the stabilizer to a more nose down position as the airplane climbed through about 6,000 feet mean sea level, and subsequently perform an emergency landing at BOS. The flight was being conducted as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 scheduled passenger flight to Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC), Rochester, New York. The airplane was not damaged and there were no injuries to the 3 crewmembers or 21 passengers.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

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On January 28, 2002 a TAME Airlines Boeing 727-134, HC-BLF, flight number 120, crashed near Ipiales, Colombia. The aircraft departed Quito, Ecuador at 10:03 local time for a 40-minute flight to Tulcan. The last radio contact with the aircraft was at 10:23. There were 83 passengers and 9 crewmembers on board, of which there were no survivors.

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On January 25, 2002, at 0243 Alaska Standard Time, an Airbus Industrie A-340-300 airplane, B-18805, was cleared for takeoff on runway 32 from the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Anchorage, Alaska. The airplane, call sign Dynasty 011, subsequently departed from a taxiway. The airplane was being operated as an instrument flight rules (IFR) scheduled international passenger flight under Title 14, CFR Part 129, when the incident occurred. The airplane was operated as Flight 011, by China Airlines, Taiwan. The three cockpit crewmembers, 12 cabin crewmembers, and 237 passengers, were not injured. The airplane was not damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. An IFR flight plan was filed from Anchorage to the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, Taipei, Taiwan.

Contact an aviation law lawyer to discuss your claim and get more information on the latest NTSB accident reportFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) personnel notified the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) of the takeoff incident at 0800. Information received from the FAA indicated the incident airplane began to taxi for takeoff from the gate area of the north terminal for runway 32. The airplane proceeded southbound on taxiway Romeo, and made a right turn from Romeo onto taxiway Kilo.

The incident airplane was cleared for takeoff on runway 32 by the Anchorage Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) local controller as the airplane made the right turn from taxiway Romeo onto Kilo. The airplane should have continued west on Kilo to the approach end of runway 32. Instead, the airplane accelerated west on taxiway Kilo. The local controller and an Anchorage departure radar controller noticed the departure roll. A radio call to the crew to abort the takeoff was not made by either controller.

The available taxiway distance from Romeo to the end of Kilo is about 6,800 feet. After departure, main landing gear tire impressions were found in a snow beam at the end of taxiway Kilo.

The airplane proceeded to Taipei and landed without incident. The NTSB has requested crew statements, and airplane flight data recorder information from the government of Taiwan.

At 0253, an Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) at Anchorage was reporting in part: Wind, 030 degrees (true) at 5 knots; visibility, 10 statute miles; clouds and sky condition, clear; temperature, 3 degrees F; dew point, -13 degrees F; altimeter, 29.91 inHg.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

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On January 24, 2002, at 1400 Eastern Standard Time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-41, N754NW, operated as flight 1118, experienced a right engine tail pipe fire during engine start while on the ramp near the end of runway 32 at the Indianapolis International Airport, Indianapolis, Indiana. An emergency evacuation was performed during which one passenger received a broken arm. The 2 cockpit crewmembers, 3 flight attendants, and 69 other passengers were not injured. The scheduled domestic flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 121. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan was filed. The scheduled destination for the flight was Detroit, Michigan.

The airplane was positioned at the end of the runway with the engines shut down due to an air traffic control delay. The fire occurred as the right engine was being restarted in preparation for takeoff.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

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On January 20, 2002, at 0715 Eastern Standard Time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, N837AT, operated by Air Trans Airways as Flight 67, was substantially damaged during pushback at Washington Dulles International Airport, Dulles, Virginia. There were no injuries to the 2 certificated airline transport pilots, 3 flight attendants, or 61 passengers. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed, for the flight that was conducted under 14 CFR Part 121.

The flight was destined for Atlanta, Georgia. According to a written statement from the captain:

Contact an aviation law lawyer to discuss your claim and get more information on the latest NTSB accident report"...overnight in IAD [Dulles Intl Arpt] with snow flurries during the night. APU mel'd inop...Ramp area poor due to ice from snow and precip the previous 15-20 hours and freezing temps. Wx at departure time, clear and mid to high 20s F...After deicing, both engines were started a gate due to APU being INOP. Pushback began and went normal until tug tried to turn aircraft for a west departure. At this time F/O stated that the tug appeared to be at an unusual angle. About this time aircraft felt as if it were moving forward followed by a loud bang and abrupt aircraft movement. I asked the ramp by interphone if the aircraft had been hit. The person on the interphone said yes - I then asked if he wanted the brakes set and he said yes. He began to say more, but I couldn't understand his broken English. I asked to speak with someone that could speak better English. The company was called, maintenance was called. About this time, IAD operations people arrived, followed by our maintenance folks. Right engine was shut down due to all of the activity on the right side of A/C."

In a follow-up telephone interview, the captain reported he was aware that the ramp was icy. His gate position required that the nose be swung about 120 degrees to set it up for a west taxi. He elected to start both engine prior to pushback due to the high power requirements, about 80 percent N1, on one engine for a cross-bleed start. The push was normal until the tug was in a position that the first officer called "unusual." Shortly there after, the airplane moved forward, and then abruptly stopped. No transmission was made to the flight crew to set the brakes, and both engines had remained at idle.

The pushback was accomplished using two wing walkers, a walker by the nose of the airplane who was in communication with the cockpit crew, and a tug driver.

In an interview, the tug driver reported that the initial part of the push was without incident. As the airplane entered an area where the ramp was icy, the tug also turned the nose of the airplane to the west. The tug driver reported that the nose wheels started slipping, and he was unable to talk to the cockpit crew. He stopped the tug and the airplane slid into the tug.

The walker on the interphone to the cockpit reported that he was not looking at the airplane when it began to slip. When he became aware that the airplane was slipping, there was insufficient time to tell the crew to set the brakes. He did not make any transmission to the flight crew prior to impact.

Several witness said the ramp was icy, and some reported difficulty in walking.

The tug used for pushback was a Hough T-225, rated to push an airplane up to 225,000 pounds. The tires on the tug were not equipped with chains.

Within the preceding 12 hours, the airport had reported periods of freezing rain, followed by light snow.

The pushback operation at Dulles was accomplished by a contract crew, trained in accordance with Air Trans Airways manuals.

Damage to the airplane consisted of a hole in the right side of the fuselage, located about 3 feet below the bottom of the forward, right side cabin door, and about 4 feet behind the trailing edge of the door. Internally, there was damage to the longerons.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

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On January 15, 2002, about 0820 Alaska standard time, a Piper PA-32 airplane, N30004, sustained substantial damage during an in-flight collision with trees and terrain, about five miles northeast of the Haines Airport, Haines Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) scheduled domestic passenger flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated as Flight 1894 by Skagway Air Services Inc., Skagway, Alaska. The commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the Haines airport, but low cloud conditions prevailed along the route of flight. A VFR flight plan was filed. The flight originated at the Skagway Airport, about 0810.

Contact an aviation law lawyer to discuss your claim and get more information on the latest NTSB accident reportThe director of operations for the operator reported the flight was scheduled to depart Skagway for Haines, where the pilot was to pick up two passengers for a continuing flight to Juneau, Alaska. The director of operations said the pilot delayed his departure for about 10 minutes while he waited for weather conditions along the route to Haines to improve. The route of flight was intended to be along the east shoreline of the Taiya Inlet. After departure, the pilot reported via radio that he was at Paradise Valley, a visual reporting point about five miles south of Skagway. The airplane did not arrive in Haines, and no further communication was received from the accident airplane.

When the accident airplane did not arrive in Haines, the director of operations began an aerial search in a fixed-wing airplane along the route of flight, but was unable to visually locate any wreckage. He notified search personnel of the missing airplane, and continued an aerial search in a helicopter. An emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received in the area of Haines. The director of operations located the airplane wreckage at 1030, about 150 feet above the waters of the Chilkoot Inlet, in an area of steep forested terrain.

The closest official weather observation station is Haines, Alaska. At 0821, an automated weather observation system (AWOS) was reporting in part: Wind, 280 degrees (true) at 4 knots; visibility, 4 statute miles in light freezing rain and mist; clouds and sky condition, 800 feet overcast; temperature, 32 degrees F; dew point, 31 degrees F; altimeter, 30.35 inHg; remarks, freezing rain began at 0821, snow began at 0755.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

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On January 2, 2002, at 2220 Eastern Standard Time, a Boeing 727-200, N262FE, operated by FedEx Express, and a pushback tug, collided during pushback for takeoff at the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport in Greenville, South Carolina. The domestic cargo flight operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 121 with a valid flight plan filed. Instrument weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane received substantial damage. The air transport pilot and his flight crew were not injured.

According to the Captain, during the first phase of pushback, every thing appeared to have been normal. The first and second officers were completing the engine start check and the airplane was being pushed back from the gate when the airplane came to a stop. The tug operator stated that during pushback, the airplane nose wheel hit a patch of ice. As he applies brakes to stop the tug, the airplane began to slide. Unable to stop the movement, the tug driver jumped from the tug to avoid getting caught between the tug and airplane. The tug came to rest lodged under the fuselage of the airplane.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

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On January 3, 2002, about 0446 Central Standard Time, a Boeing 747-200 airplane, French registration FGCBG, was substantially damaged following a wing landing gear collapse while landing on runway 15L at the Houston Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas. The cargo-configured airplane was registered to and operated by Air France. The flight crew (Captain, First Officer, and Flight Engineer) was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an Instrument Flight Rules flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 129 international cargo flight that originated from Mexico City at 0245.

After touchdown and rollout, the airplane exited the runway onto a high-speed taxiway. The captain, noticing the airplane was "dragging," applied power with minimal aircraft movement. Further inspection by maintenance personnel revealed that the right wing landing gear had collapsed. The trunnion was found protruding upward through the wing.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

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On January 1, 2002, about 1057 eastern standard time, a McDonnell-Douglas MD-83, Trinidad registration 9Y-THQ, operated by BWIA West Indies Airways, as flight 432, scheduled passenger service from Bridgetown, Barbados, to Miami, Florida, overran the runway while landing at Miami International Airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The airplane received minor damage and the airline transport-rated captain, first officer, 4 flight attendants, and 119 passengers were not injured. The flight originated from Barbados at 0730.

Contact an aviation law lawyer to discuss your claim and get more information on the latest NTSB accident reportThe captain stated the first officer was flying the airplane for the approach and landing. During the landing flare, the first officer maintained some engine power and the airplane floated down the runway. The captain moved the power levers to the idle position and the airplane touched down at about the halfway point on the runway. The first officer did not begin decelerating the airplane immediately after touchdown and the captain took control of the airplane and placed the engines into reverse and applied maximum braking. When the captain realized the airplane would not stop on the remaining runway, he turned the airplane to the left to avoid approach lights. The airplanes nose gear went off the paved surface into soft terrain and became buried in dirt. The airplane then came to a stop. The captain determined the airplane was safe and did not order an evacuation. The passengers exited the airplane by the aft airstair and were taken to the terminal by bus.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

NTSB Accident Report


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Propeller Blade
January 12, 2002, a Hamilton Sundstrand 568E propeller blade separated adjacent to the propeller hub on the right engine of an Anions de Transport Regional airplane. Shortly after takeoff the pilots felt high vibrations in the airplane as the right engine’s low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The fuel lever jammed when the pilots tried to show down the engine and they had to emergency land, leaving minor damage to the airplane.
In-Flight Fires
November 29, 2000, an American Airlines operated DC-9-82 was struck by lightning and had an in-flight fire that forced an emergency landing and evacuation, leaving minor damages
Omission in Pilot Training
November 12, 2001, an American Airlines flight was destroyed after crashing into a residential area following takeoff. Prior to the impact, the vertical stabilizer and rudder separated from the fuselage, leaving the 2 pilots, 7 flight attendants, 251 passengers, and 5 people on the ground dead.

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