Accident | |
---|---|
Date | September 8, 1970 |
Summary | Right elevator jammed by foreign object; further aggravated by pilot error, resulting in loss of pitch control |
Site | John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, New York, United States 40°39′N73°47′W / 40.650°N 73.783°W |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Douglas DC-8-63CF |
Operator | Trans International Airlines |
IATA flight No. | TV863 |
ICAO flight No. | TVA863 |
Call sign | TRANSAMERICA 863 |
Registration | N4863T |
Flight origin | John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City |
Destination | Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia |
Occupants | 11 |
Passengers | 0 |
Crew | 11 |
Fatalities | 11 |
Survivors | 0 |
Trans International Airlines Flight 863 was a ferry flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to Washington Dulles International Airport. On September 8, 1970, the Douglas DC-8 (registration N4863T) crashed during take-off from JFK's runway 13R. None of the 11 occupants, who were all crew members, survived. [1] [2] [3]
The probable cause of the accident was an asphalt-covered object lodged in between the right elevator and the right horizontal stabilizer, that jammed the elevator and caused the loss of pitch control.
The aircraft involved was a Douglas DC-8-63CF, built in 1968. The aircraft was powered by four Pratt and Whitney JT3D-7 engines. The aircraft had 7,878 hours at the time of the accident. [1] : 4–5 [4] [5]
The captain was 49-year-old Joseph John May, who had 22,300 flight hours, including 7,100 hours on the DC-8. Other TIA pilots referred to him as "Ron". The first officer was 47-year-old John Donald Loeffler, who had 15,775 flight hours, with 4,750 of them on the DC-8. The flight engineer was 42-year-old Donald Kenneth Neely, who had 10,000 flight hours, including 3,500 hours on the DC-8. [1] : 24–25 Eight flight attendants also were on board. [1] : 1 [6] [7]
At 16:04 (EST), the aircraft was cleared to take off from JFK Airport runway 13R. The take-off roll commenced one minute later. The takeoff was unusually slow, with rotation occurring 1,550 feet (470 m) down the runway. Due to the slow rotation, a tailstrike occurred and skidded on the runway for 1,250 feet (380 m). The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) recorded the sound of the tailstrike. [1]
At 16:05:35, Captain May said, "let's take it off," with First Officer Loeffler replying, "can't control this thing, Ron." The aircraft became airborne at 2,800 feet (850 m) down the runway. About 2 seconds after take off, the stick-shaker activated, warning the flight crew that the aircraft was in danger of stalling. The aircraft pitched 60–90° nose-up, rising only 300–500 feet (91–152 m) above the ground. The aircraft then rolled 20° to the right, then sharply to the left, and stalled in a nose-down position. The aircraft crashed into the ground at 16:05:52. The aircraft exploded and burst into flames on impact, killing the crew. [1] : 1, 6–7
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the crash. The accident was labeled as "nonsurvivable." [1] : 9 While examining the wreckage, investigators discovered a foreign object lodged in between the right elevator and the right horizontal stabilizer. The NTSB determined that this jammed the elevator and caused the loss of pitch control, but could not determine how the object got lodged in between the two surfaces, though one scenario stated that the object was blown in by wake turbulence from the aircraft that took off before Flight 863. [1] : 13
The NTSB published its final report on August 18, 1971, with the "probable cause" section stating:
The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was a loss of pitch control caused by the entrapment of a pointed, asphalt-covered object between the leading edge of the right elevator and the right horizontal spar web access door in the aft part of the stabilizer. The restriction to elevator movement, caused by a highly unusual and unknown condition, was not detected by the crew in time to reject the take off successfully; however, an apparent lack of crew responsiveness to a highly unusual emergency situation, coupled with the captain's failure to monitor adequately the take off, contributed to the failure to reject the take off. [1] : 20
After the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration instituted new time minima between aircraft in line-up for take off. [1] : 20–22 [2]
United Airlines Flight 232 was a regularly scheduled United Airlines flight from Stapleton International Airport in Denver to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, continuing to Philadelphia International Airport. On July 19, 1989, the DC-10 serving the flight crash-landed at Sioux Gateway Airport in Sioux City, Iowa, after suffering a catastrophic failure of its tail-mounted engine due to an unnoticed manufacturing defect in the engine's fan disk, which resulted in the loss of all flight controls. Of the 296 passengers and crew on board, 112 died during the accident, while 184 people survived. 13 of the passengers were uninjured. It was the deadliest single-aircraft accident in the history of United Airlines.
Trans International Airlines (TIA) started as a United States supplemental air carrier, at the time the regulatory term for a charter airline. After US airline deregulation in 1979, it also operated scheduled passenger service flying as Transamerica Airlines as well as charter flights during its last decade. Its headquarters were at Oakland International Airport (OAK) in Oakland, California.
Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 was a regularly scheduled flight from New Orleans to New York City that crashed on June 24, 1975 while on approach to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing 113 of the 124 people on board. The crash was determined to be caused by wind shear caused by a microburst, but the failure of the airport and the flight crew to recognize the severe weather hazard was also a contributing factor.
American Airlines Flight 96 (AA96/AAL96) was a regular domestic flight operated by American Airlines from Los Angeles to New York via Detroit and Buffalo. On June 12, 1972, the left rear cargo door of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 operating the flight blew open and broke off above Windsor, Ontario, after takeoff from Detroit, Michigan; the accident is thus sometimes referred to as the Windsor incident, although according to the NTSB it is an accident, not an incident.
Air Midwest Flight 5481 was a Beechcraft 1900D on a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Greenville–Spartanburg International Airport in Greer, South Carolina. On the morning of January 8, 2003, the Beechcraft stalled while departing Charlotte Douglas International Airport and crashed into an aircraft hangar, killing all 21 passengers and crew aboard and injuring one person on the ground.
Loftleiðir Flight 001 was a Hajj charter flight operated by a Douglas DC-8 which crashed on approach to Colombo, Sri Lanka on 15 November 1978. The crash killed 183 out of 262 passengers and crew members. The official report by Sri Lankan authorities determined the probable cause of the crash to be the failure of the crew to conform to approach procedures; however, American and Icelandic authorities claimed faulty equipment at the airport and air traffic control errors as the reasons for the crash.
On December 3, 1990, two Northwest Airlines jetliners collided at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Flight 1482, a scheduled Douglas DC-9-14 operating from Detroit to Pittsburgh International Airport, taxied by mistake onto an active runway in dense fog and was hit by a departing Boeing 727 operating as Flight 299 to Memphis International Airport. One member of the crew and seven passengers of the DC-9 were killed.
Provincetown-Boston Airlines Flight 1039 was a scheduled passenger flight from Jacksonville International Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, to Tampa International Airport, Florida. On December 6, 1984, the plane crashed upon takeoff at Jacksonville, killing all 13 passengers and crew.
In aeronautics, loss of control (LOC) is the unintended departure of an aircraft from controlled flight and is a significant factor in several aviation accidents worldwide. In 2015 it was the leading cause of general aviation accidents. Loss of control may be the result of mechanical failure, external disturbances, aircraft upset conditions, or inappropriate crew actions or responses.
Continental Airlines Flight 603 was a scheduled McDonnell Douglas DC-10 flight between Los Angeles International Airport and Honolulu International Airport. On March 1, 1978, it crashed during an aborted takeoff, resulting in the deaths of four passengers.
United Airlines Flight 2885 was a scheduled cargo flight from Cleveland to Los Angeles, with stopover in Detroit. On January 11, 1983, a DC-8 operating as Flight 2885 crashed after take-off from Detroit, killing all three crew members. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation determined that the cause for the crash was pilot error. A radioactive package was found on board, but no radioactive material was spilled.
Emery Worldwide Airlines Flight 17 was a regularly scheduled United States domestic cargo flight, flying from Reno, Nevada to Dayton, Ohio with an intermediate stopover at Rancho Cordova, California. On February 16, 2000, the DC-8-71F operating the flight crashed onto an automobile salvage yard shortly after taking off from Sacramento Mather Airport, resulting in the deaths of all three crew members on board. The crew reported control problems during takeoff and attempted unsuccessfully to return to Mather airport.
Air Transport International Flight 782 was a ferry flight from Kansas City International Airport in Missouri to Westover Metropolitan Airport in Springfield, Massachusetts using a Douglas DC-8-63 with one of its 4 engines inoperative. On February 16, 1995, the aircraft failed to take off from Kansas City, overran the runway, and crashed. All three flight crew members, the only occupants on board, were killed. The cause was deemed to be improper training, which resulted in the crew failing to understand a three-engine takeoff procedure. In addition, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s oversight of rest regulations and the airline were both poor.
On 23 December 1983, Korean Air Lines Flight 084 (KAL084), a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30CF performing a cargo flight, collided during its takeoff roll with SouthCentral Air Flight 59 (SCA59), a Piper PA-31-350, on runway 06L/24R at Anchorage International Airport, as a result of the KAL084 flight crew becoming disoriented while taxiing in dense fog and attempting to take off on the wrong runway. Both aircraft were destroyed, but no fatalities resulted.
On October 19, 2021, a corporate McDonnell Douglas MD-87, registered as N987AK, crashed and caught fire during take-off, 1,600 feet (500 m) from Houston Executive Airport. Those on board, 19 passengers and four crew members, were safely evacuated out of the aircraft. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and was subsequently written-off.
American Airlines Flight 102 was a regularly scheduled flight operated by a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 from Honolulu International Airport to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. On 14 April 1993, upon landing, it was raining at Dallas-Ft Worth International Airport, and there were numerous thunderstorms in the area. Shortly after touchdown on runway 17L, the pilot lost directional control as the aircraft began to weathervane, and it departed the right side of the runway. All 202 occupants on board survived, with two passengers suffering serious injuries during the emergency evacuation. The aircraft was badly damaged and was written off.
Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26 was a chartered McDonnell Douglas DC-8 Military Airlift Command (MAC) contract flight operated by Capitol Air from McChord Field in Tacoma to Cam Ranh Bay in Southern Vietnam via stopovers at Anchorage and at Yokota Air Base in Japan. The aircraft crashed after a botched take-off attempt from Runway 6R at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport on November 27, 1970. Of the 229 people aboard the jet, 47 perished due to the post-crash fire with 49 people injured.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Transportation Safety Board .
External image | |
---|---|
Pre-crash photos of N4863T on airliners.net |