Air Wisconsin Flight 965

Last updated

Air Wisconsin Flight 965
Swear SA-226AT N261S Air WI ORD 02.12.73 edited-2.jpg
A Swearingen SA-226TC Metro II, similar to the accident aircraft
Accident
DateJune 12, 1980 (1980-06-12)
SummaryLoss of control after double engine flame-out
Site Douglas County, 5 km (3.1 mi; 2.7 nmi) North of Valley, Nebraska, United States
41°22′55″N96°20′42″W / 41.38194°N 96.34500°W / 41.38194; -96.34500
Aircraft
Aircraft type Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II
Operator Air Wisconsin
Call signWISCONSIN 965
Registration N650S
Flight origin Outagamie County Regional Airport (ATW/KATW) near Appleton, Wisconsin
Stopover Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP/KMSP)
Destination Lincoln Municipal Airport (LNK/KLNK)
Occupants15
Passengers13
Crew2
Fatalities13
Injuries2
Survivors2

Air Wisconsin Flight 965 (registration N650S) was a flight operated by Air Wisconsin that crashed near Valley, Nebraska, on June 12, 1980. The crash was caused by poor weather conditions making the engines fail and failure to recontrol the aircraft. [1]

Contents

Accident

The aircraft operating Flight 965, a Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II, left Outagamie County Regional Airport on a one-stop flight to Lincoln Municipal Airport at 12:45 on June 12, 1980. The flight stopped at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and then continued on to Lincoln Municipal Airport. [1]

While en route but nearing its destination the aircraft experienced severe turbulence and was cleared to successively lower altitudes in an attempt to avoid the turbulence. During the descent the aircraft entered a region of severe precipitation, which caused both engines to flame-out due to very high levels of water ingestion. The crew managed to re-light both engines but lost control and impacted the ground. The aircraft struck the ground in a slightly nose down and right wing low attitude, bounced and then struck the ground a second time, sliding along the ground coming to a rest inverted. Both crew and eleven of the thirteen passengers were killed in the accident. [1]

Aircraft and crew

The accident aircraft, SA-226TC Metro II c/n TC-228, had flown a total of 8055 hours and had first flown in 1976. There were no failures of the aircraft or its systems reported before the crash, or discovered by the investigation team. [1]

The captain was 37-year-old Peter A. Grab, who had been with Air Wisconsin since 1972. He had 8,391 flight hours, including 6,000 hours on the SA-226TC Metro. The first officer was 28-year-old Nicholas Gallmeister, who had joined the airline three months before the accident and had logged 4,063 flight hours, but only 143 of them were on the SA-226TC Metro. [2] :56

Investigation

The investigation focused on why the aircraft was flown deliberately into a region of very extreme weather, without air traffic control informing the crew of the weather or the on-board weather detection system indicating the extreme weather. [1]

NTSB photo of Air Wisconsin flight 965 wreckage Air Wisconsin N650S wreckage.jpg
NTSB photo of Air Wisconsin flight 965 wreckage

Causes

The direct cause of the crash was determined as flight into extreme weather causing the engines to flame-out and failure to maintain control during the recovery. Contributory causes were the failure of air traffic services to warn of the extreme weather and the inability of the aircraft's weather radar to penetrate even moderate precipitation, leaving the crew unaware of the extreme precipitation in the weather ahead. [2]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ranter, Harro. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Air Wisconsin Inc., Swearing SA-226 Metro, N650S, Valley, Nebraska, June 12, 1980" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. December 9, 1980. Retrieved July 8, 2020. - Copy at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University.


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Airlines Flight 965</span> 1995 passenger plane crash in Colombia

American Airlines Flight 965 was a regularly scheduled flight from Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia. On December 20, 1995, the Boeing 757-200 flying this route crashed into a mountain in Buga, Colombia, around 9:40 pm killing 151 of the 155 passengers and all eight crew members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviation safety</span> State in which risks associated with aviation are at an acceptable level

Aviation safety is the study and practice of managing risks in aviation. This includes preventing aviation accidents and incidents through research, educating air travel personnel, passengers and the general public, as well as the design of aircraft and aviation infrastructure. The aviation industry is subject to significant regulation and oversight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Airlines Flight 255</span> 1987 plane crash of an MD-82 in Detroit, Michigan

On August 16, 1987 a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 255, crashed shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, about 8:46 pm EDT, resulting in the deaths of all six crew members and 148 of the 149 passengers, along with two people on the ground. The sole survivor was a 4-year-old girl who sustained serious injuries. It was the second-deadliest aviation accident at the time in the United States. It is also the deadliest aviation accident to have a sole survivor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air China Flight 129</span> 2002 aviation accident in South Korea

Air China Flight 129 (CCA129/CA129) was a scheduled international passenger flight, operated by Air China, from Beijing Capital International Airport to Gimhae International Airport in Busan. On April 15, 2002, the aircraft on this route, a Boeing 767-200ER, crashed into a hill near the airport, killing 129 of the 166 people on board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continental Airlines Flight 1713</span> 1987 aviation accident

Continental Airlines Flight 1713 was a commercial airline flight that crashed while taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, on November 15, 1987. The Douglas DC-9 airliner, operated by Continental Airlines, was making a scheduled flight to Boise, Idaho. Twenty-five passengers and three crew members died in the crash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilot error</span> Decision, action or inaction by a pilot of an aircraft

Pilot error generally refers to an accident in which an action or decision made by the pilot was the cause or a contributing factor that led to the accident, but also includes the pilot's failure to make a correct decision or take proper action. Errors are intentional actions that fail to achieve their intended outcomes. The Chicago Convention defines the term "accident" as "an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft [...] in which [...] a person is fatally or seriously injured [...] except when the injuries are [...] inflicted by other persons." Hence the definition of "pilot error" does not include deliberate crashing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner</span> Small airliner and executive aircraft family by Swearingen, later Fairchild

The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in San Antonio, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perimeter Aviation</span> Regional Canadian airline, based in Winnipeg

Perimeter Aviation is an airline with its head office on the property of Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Perimeter Aviation operates more than 30 aircraft on scheduled, charter, and medevac service. It was established and started operations in 1960. It operates scheduled passenger services from Winnipeg to 23 destinations, freight and MEDEVAC services. Its main base is Winnipeg International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braniff International Airways Flight 250</span> 1966 aviation accident

Braniff International Airways Flight 250 crashed near Falls City, Nebraska, on August 6, 1966, en route to Omaha from Kansas City, Missouri. Thirty-eight passengers and four crew members were killed in the crash, which occurred in a farm field late on a Saturday night. In-flight structural failure due to extreme turbulence in an avoidable weather hazard was cited as the cause.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Airways Flight 242</span> 1977 aviation accident

Southern Airways Flight 242 was a flight from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, with a stop in Huntsville, Alabama. On April 4, 1977, it executed a forced landing on Georgia State Route 381 in New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia, United States, after suffering hail damage and losing thrust on both engines in a severe thunderstorm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braniff International Airways Flight 352</span> 1968 aviation accident

Braniff International Airways Flight 352 was a scheduled domestic flight from William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas, United States, to Dallas Love Field in Dallas; on May 3, 1968, a Lockheed L-188A Electra flying on the route, registration N9707C, broke up in midair and crashed near Dawson, Texas, after flying into a severe thunderstorm. It was carrying 5 crew and 80 passengers; there were no survivors. Among those killed was Texas state representative Joseph Lockridge, the first black man to represent Dallas County in the Texas Legislature. Investigation revealed that the accident was caused by the captain's decision to penetrate an area of heavy weather followed by a structural over-stress and failure of the airframe while attempting recovery from loss of control during a steep 180-degree turn executed in an attempt to escape the weather.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pan Am Flight 923</span> 1947 aviation accident

Pan Am Flight 923 was a Douglas DC-4 operating from Seattle, Washington to Juneau, Alaska, which crashed into Tamgas Mountain on Annette Island, Alaska, on October 26, 1947. All 18 passengers and crew on board were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeronaves TSM</span> Mexican airline

Aeronaves TSM is an airline company based in Saltillo, Mexico. The company was founded in 1995, and operates both chartered flights and cargo flights. Their aircraft are used for cargo operations and are operated for DHL Aviation. Aeronaves TSM also provides flight training and ground school. Aeronaves TSM averages about 10,000 charter operations every year and 30 flights per day. The average fleet age of the airline is about 36 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Algérie Flight 5017</span> July 2014 plane crash in Mali

Air Algérie Flight 5017 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to Algiers, Algeria, which crashed near Gossi, Mali, on 24 July 2014. The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 twinjet with 110 passengers and 6 crew on board, operated by Swiftair for Air Algérie, disappeared from radar about fifty minutes after take-off. There were no survivors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sriwijaya Air Flight 062</span> 2008 aviation accident

Sriwijaya Air Flight 062 (SJ062/SJY062) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight, operated by Indonesian airline Sriwijaya Air from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta to Sultan Thaha Airport, Jambi. On 27 August 2008, the aircraft operating the flight, a Boeing 737 series 200 registered as PK-CJG, overran the runway and crashed onto a house during its landing attempt at Jambi. Due to the accident, 26 people were injured, including 3 people on the ground. One person later succumbed to his injuries. Everyone on board the aircraft survived the crash. It was the first fatal crash in Sriwijaya Air's operational history and was the only fatal accident until Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 crashed in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 9560</span> 2002 aviation accident

Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 9560 was a repositioning flight from Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow to Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg. On 28 July 2002, the Ilyushin Il-86 aircraft operating the flight crashed after take-off from Sheremetyevo. 14 of the 16 crew members on board were killed, making the crash the deadliest aviation accident involving the Ilyushin Il-86.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan International Airlines Flight 590</span> 1991 aviation accident

Ryan International Airlines Flight 590 was a cargo flight carrying mail for the United States Postal Service from Greater Buffalo International Airport (BUF) in Buffalo, New York, to Indianapolis International Airport (IND) in Indiana, with a stopover at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) in Cleveland, Ohio. On February 17, 1991, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15RC operating the flight crashed on takeoff from Cleveland during icing conditions. Both pilots, the aircraft's only occupants, were killed. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the causes of the crash were the flight crew failing to deice their aircraft, and the inexperience of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), McDonnell Douglas, and Ryan International Airlines with icing condition on DC-9-10 aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flightline Flight 101</span>

Flightline Flight 101 was an international flight from Barcelona El-Prat Airport in Barcelona, Spain to Ahmed Ben Bella Airport in Oran, Algeria. It crashed into the sea, probably due to a lightning strike leading to a loss of electricity.