Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254

Last updated

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254
Accident
DateApril 9, 1990
Summary Mid-air collision
Site Gadsden, Alabama, United States
33°58′37.57″N86°5′41.55″W / 33.9771028°N 86.0948750°W / 33.9771028; -86.0948750
Total fatalities2
Total survivors7
First aircraft
Embraer EMB-120RT Brasilia, ASA - Atlantic Southeast Airlines AN0215776.jpg
An ASA Embraer 120RT Brasilia, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident.
Type Embraer 120RT Brasilia
Operator Atlantic Southeast Airlines
Registration N217AS
Flight origin Northwest Alabama Regional Airport; Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Stopover Northeast Alabama Regional Airport; Gadsden, Alabama
Destination Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport; Atlanta, Georgia
Occupants7
Passengers4
Crew3
Survivors7
Second aircraft
CAP Cessna 172 in flight (20764307010).jpg
A CAP Cessna 172, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident.
Type Cessna 172
Operator Civil Air Patrol
RegistrationN99501
Flight origin Northeast Alabama Regional Airport; Gadsden, Alabama
Destination Northeast Alabama Regional Airport; Gadsden, Alabama
Occupants2
Passengers1
Crew1
Fatalities2

On April 9, 1990, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254, a scheduled passenger flight from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to Gadsden, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, was involved in a mid-air collision with a Cessna 172 over Gadsden. The collision resulted in the death of the pilot and passenger of the Cessna 172. [1] [2]

Contents

Aircraft

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254 was operated under 14 CFR 135 with an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia (registration N217AS [3] ). [2]

The second aircraft was a Cessna 172 (registration N99501 [4] ), operated by two Civil Air Patrol pilots. [2] [5]

Accident

Flight 2254 departed Muscle Shoals, Alabama, en route to Atlanta with a scheduled intermediate stop at the Northeast Alabama Regional Airport in Gadsden, Alabama. The flight from Muscle Shoals to Gadsden was without incident. [1]

Flight 2254 departed Gadsden from Runway 24, with Captain William Query (56) and First Officer Quentin Haynes at the controls. The aircraft turned left toward the east along its intended flight path to Atlanta, climbing toward an assigned altitude of 5,000 feet. The Cessna 172 was westbound at the same altitude, facing the setting sun. The two aircraft collided at approximately 6:05 p.m. Central Daylight Time. [2] :1

As a result of the head-on collision, Flight 2254's right horizontal stabilizer was torn from the aircraft. Though significantly damaged, Flight 2254 managed to return to the airport with no injuries to occupants. The Cessna 172 crashed into a field, resulting in fatal injuries to both occupants. The ASA crew reported afterward that they saw the Cessna moments before impact, and that the captain attempted evasive action by pushing the nose down, but was unable to avoid the collision. An eyewitness who saw the collision did not report any evasive maneuvers by either aircraft prior to the accident. [2] :1 [6] [5]

Probable cause

The probable cause of the crash was attributed by the NTSB to be "inadequate visual lookout by the pilots of both aircraft, which resulted in their failure to see and avoid oncoming traffic. A factor related to the accident was the sun's glare, which restricted the vision of the Cessna 172 pilot." [2]

See also

Similar accidents between a scheduled commercial flight and a private aircraft in the immediate airport environment include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westchester County Airport</span> Public airport in Westchester County, New York

Westchester County Airport is a county-owned airport in Westchester County, New York, three miles (6 km) northeast of downtown White Plains, with territory in the towns of North Castle and Harrison, New York, and village of Rye Brook, New York. It is sometimes referred to as the White Plains Airport and is so identified by the Official Airline Guide (OAG).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182</span> 1978 mid-air collision over San Diego

Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 was a scheduled flight of Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) from Sacramento to Los Angeles and San Diego. On September 25, 1978, the Boeing 727-214 serving the flight, registration N533PS, collided with a private Cessna 172 light aircraft, registration N7711G, over San Diego, California. It was Pacific Southwest Airlines' first fatal accident, and it remains the deadliest air disaster in California history. At the time, it was the deadliest air crash to occur in the United States, and remained so until American Airlines Flight 191 in May 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Barbara Municipal Airport</span> Municipal airport in Goleta, California, United States

Santa Barbara Municipal Airport is 7 miles (11 km) west of downtown Santa Barbara, California, United States. SBA covers 948 acres of land and has three runways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles runway disaster</span> 1991 runway collision between two airplanes

On the evening of February 1, 1991, USAir Flight 1493, a Boeing 737-300, collided with SkyWest Airlines Flight 5569, a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner turboprop aircraft, upon landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). As Flight 1493 was on final approach the local controller was distracted, though air traffic was not heavy at LAX, by a series of abnormalities, including a misplaced flight progress strip and an aircraft that had inadvertently switched off the tower frequency. The SkyWest flight was told to taxi into takeoff position, while the USAir flight was landing on the same runway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presque Isle International Airport</span> Airport

Presque Isle International Airport, formally Northern Maine Regional Airport at Presque Isle, is a mile northwest of Presque Isle, in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. It serves the residents of Presque Isle and a vast area of northern Maine and northwestern New Brunswick. Airline flights to Newark Liberty International Airport are subsidized by the federal government's Essential Air Service program at a cost of $3,892,174.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Worth Meacham International Airport</span> General aviation airport in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth Meacham International Airport is a general aviation airport located near the intersection of Interstate 820 and Business U.S. Highway 287 in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It is named after former Fort Worth Mayor Henry C. Meacham. The airport covers 745 acres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupelo Regional Airport</span> Airport

Tupelo Regional Airport is a public use airport located 3.7 miles; 3.2 nautical miles (6 km) west of the central business district of Tupelo, a city in Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is owned by the Tupelo Airport Authority. The airport is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline with scheduled passenger service subsidized by the federal Essential Air Service (EAS) program. Many college football teams visiting the University of Mississippi, 49 miles west in Oxford, fly into Tupelo.

Taos Regional Airport is a public use airport eight nautical miles (15 km) northwest of the central business district of Taos, in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. It is owned by the Town of Taos. FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013 classifies it as a general aviation airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piedmont Airlines Flight 22</span> 1967 mid-air collision

Piedmont Airlines Flight 22 was a Piedmont Airlines Boeing 727-22 that collided with a twin-engine Cessna 310 on July 19, 1967, over Hendersonville, North Carolina, United States. Both aircraft were destroyed and all passengers and crew were killed, including John T. McNaughton, an advisor to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The aircraft were both operating under instrument flight rules and were in radio contact with the Asheville control tower, though on different frequencies. The accident investigation was the first of a major scale conducted by the newly created National Transportation Safety Board. A review of the investigation conducted 39 years after the crash upheld the original findings that had placed primary responsibility on the Cessna pilot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport</span> Airport in San Diego, California

Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, formerly known as Montgomery Field and Gibbs Field, is a public airport in San Diego, California, United States, six miles (10 km) north of downtown San Diego. The airport covers 456 acres (185 ha) and has three runways, one public and two private helipads. The runways are 28 Right/10 Left-28 Left/10 Right parallels and 05/23.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Alabama Regional Airport</span> Airport in Etowah County, Alabama

Northeast Alabama Regional Airport is five miles southwest of Gadsden, in Etowah County, Alabama. It is owned by Gadsden Airport Authority and it used to be Gadsden Municipal Airport. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013 categorized as a general aviation facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L'Express Airlines Flight 508</span> 1991 aviation accident

On July 10, 1991, a L'Express Airlines Beechcraft C99, flying as Flight 508 originating in New Orleans, and in transit from Mobile to Birmingham, crashed while attempting to make an ILS approach to Runway 5 at Birmingham Municipal Airport in Birmingham, Alabama. The plane crashed in the Fairview area near Five Points West in the Ensley neighborhood and subsequently injured four persons on the ground, as well as destroying two homes. Of the 15 occupants on board, there were 13 fatalities. The cause of the crash was attributed to the captain's decision to attempt an instrument approach into severe thunderstorms resulting in a loss of control of the airplane. To date it is the deadliest commercial aviation accident in Alabama history.

Mesquite Metro Airport is a public use airport in Dallas County, Texas, 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) east of the central business district of Mesquite. The airport is west of the border of Dallas County and Kaufman County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folsom Field (Alabama)</span> Airport in Vinemont, Alabama

Cullman Regional Airport-Folsom Field is a public-use airport located five nautical miles north of the central business district of Cullman, a city in Cullman County, Alabama, United States. It is owned by the City and County of Cullman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 St. Louis Airport collision</span> 1994 runway collision in Missouri, United States

The 1994 St. Louis Airport collision occurred when TWA Flight 427, operated using a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, struck a Cessna 441 Conquest II during its take-off roll, killing both of its occupants. The incident took place on November 22, 1994, at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) in Bridgeton, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GP Express Airlines Flight 861</span> 1992 aviation accident

GP Express Airlines Flight 861, from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia to Anniston Metropolitan Airport in Anniston, Alabama, crashed while attempting to land at approximately 8:04 a.m. CDT on June 8, 1992. The Beechcraft Model 99 had four passengers and a crew of two on board. Two passengers and the captain received fatal injuries. All three survivors were seriously injured.

GP Express Airlines was a scheduled passenger commuter air carrier with its headquarters located in Grand Island, Nebraska The parent corporation of the airline began on-demand air charter operations in December 1975. In December 1985 the Department of Transportation notified GP AIR that its bid to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) service in the Midwest had been accepted, GP AIR subsequently created subsidiary GP Express in order to conduct these operations under 14 CFR Part 135.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SkyWest Airlines Flight 1834</span> 1987 mid-air collision

On Thursday, January 15, 1987, SkyWest Airlines Flight 1834, a Swearingen SA-226TC, and a Mooney M20 were involved in a midair collision at 12:52 MST (UTC−7) near Kearns, Utah, a suburb southwest of Salt Lake City. All ten aboard the two aircraft were killed: two pilots and six passengers aboard the METRO II and two aboard the Mooney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Moncks Corner mid-air collision</span>

On July 7, 2015, an F-16 fighter jet operated by the United States Air Force collided in-flight with a private Cessna 150 single-engine light aircraft over Moncks Corner, South Carolina, United States. Both occupants of the Cessna were killed; the pilot of the F-16 ejected safely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ozark Air Lines Flight 965</span> 1968 mid-air collision in St. Louis, Missouri

Ozark Air Lines Flight 965 was a scheduled commercial flight from Chicago, Illinois, to Lambert Field in St. Louis, Missouri, with a scheduled intermediate stopover at Greater Peoria Regional Airport in Peoria, Illinois. On March 27, 1968, the Douglas DC-9-15 jetliner operating the flight, carrying 44 passengers and five crew, collided in mid-air with a single-engined Cessna 150F while both aircraft were on approach to the same runway at Lambert Field. The DC-9 landed safely with no injuries to any of its 49 occupants, while both pilots in the two-person Cessna died in the collision and subsequent ground impact.

References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Transportation Safety Board .

  1. 1 2 "Commuter Aircraft Collides with Cessna Plane, Two Dead". Daily News. Kingsport, Tennessee. April 11, 1990. p. 1. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Aviation Accident Final Report". National Transportation Safety Board. March 5, 1993. ATL90FA095A. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  3. "FAA Registry (N217AS)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  4. "FAA Registry (N99501)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  5. 1 2 "Commuter Plane, Cessna in Air Collision". Spokane Chronicle. April 10, 1990. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  6. "Brief of Accident; N99501; April 9, 1990; NTSB ID ATL90FA095B". National Transportation Safety Board. ATL90FA095B. Retrieved January 24, 2020.