United Express Flight 2415

Last updated
United Express Flight 2415
British Aerospace BAe-3101 Jetstream 31, United Express (Westair Commuter Airlines) AN1076269.jpg
A United Express BAe Jetstream 31,
similar to the aircraft involved in the incident
Occurrence
DateDecember 26, 1989 (1989-12-26)
Summary Loss of control following low-altitude stall
Site Tri-Cities Airport,
Pasco, Washington, U.S.
46°16′16″N119°06′40″W / 46.271°N 119.111°W / 46.271; -119.111
Aircraft
Aircraft type BAe Jetstream 31
Operator North Pacific Airlines
DBA United Express
ICAO flight No.NPE415
Call signSUNDANCE 415 [1]
Registration N410UE
Flight origin Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, Washington
Stopover Yakima Air Terminal,
Yakima, Washington
Destination Tri-Cities Airport,
Pasco, Washington
Occupants6
Passengers4
Crew2
Fatalities6
Survivors0
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Pasco
USA Washington relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Pasco

United Express Flight 2415 was a regularly scheduled flight in the northwest United States from Seattle to Pasco, Washington, operated using a BAe Jetstream 31. [1] Late on Tuesday, December 26, 1989, Flight 2415 crashed while attempting to land at Pasco's Tri-Cities Airport, killing both pilots and all four passengers aboard. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Aircraft, crew, and flight information

North Pacific Airlines, operating as United Express, operated Flight 2415 as a regularly scheduled flight from Seattle to Pasco, with an intermediate stop in Yakima.

On the night of the accident, Flight 2415 was operated using a BAe Jetstream 31 twin-turboprop airliner, registration number N410UE. [1] :9 The aircraft was manufactured two years earlier in October 1987, and had accumulated approximately 4,972 flight hours at the time of the accident. [1] :9 The aircraft was not equipped with a ground proximity warning system [1] :31 and did not have a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder. [1] :13 [2]

The captain was 38-year-old Barry W. Roberts. He had 6,600 flight hours, including 670 hours on the Jetstream. The first officer was 25-year-old Douglas K. McInroe, who had 2,792 flight hours with 213 of them on the Jetstream. [1] :5–9,62

Accident

Flight 2415 departed Seattle at 20:45 PST, and arrived at Yakima with no reported mechanical difficulties. [1] :1 A company station agent at Yakima witnessed First Officer McInroe knocking ice off the wings of the aircraft, with the assistance of another company first officer. The station agent asked Captain Roberts whether he wanted his aircraft deiced, but the captain declined. [1] :1 The station agent also asked if the captain wanted Flight 2415's tail deiced, since the first officers deicing the wings would be unable to reach the tail surfaces. Roberts declined this as well. [1] :1–2 [5] Flight 2415 was the only flight to depart Yakima that afternoon/evening that was not deiced prior to departure. [1] :2

At 21:59, air traffic controllers at the Yakima tower announced that Yakima airport was closed due to weather conditions. [1] :2 However, at 22:00, Flight 2415 contacted Yakima ground controllers and were cleared to proceed to Yakima's runway 27 for departure. Ground controllers advised Flight 2415 of "light to moderate mixed icing" between 4,000 and 18,000 feet (1,200 and 5,500 m), which Flight 2415 acknowledged. [1] :2 At 22:01, Flight 2415 departed Yakima en route to Pasco, and climbed to a cruising altitude of 11,000 feet (3,400 m). [1] :2–3

At 22:26, Flight 2415 was cleared for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to runway 21R at Pasco's Tri-Cities Airport. [1] :3 Conversations between Flight 2415 and controllers were normal in the minutes leading up to the crash, and no distress call was made. [6]

At 22:30, while Flight 2415 was on final approach, the Pasco tower controller observed Flight 2415 flying "higher than normal" for a final approach, and also descending faster than normal. [1] :5 The controller watched Flight 2415 descend until it struck the ground 400 feet (120 m) short of runway 21R. The controller alerted emergency response crews, who arrived at the crash site at 22:34; [1] :5 the aircraft was destroyed, and there were no survivors. [1] :5

Investigation

The accident was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board. Investigators determined that the airplane was flying well above the glideslope for an ILS approach. [1] :40 From the plane's last recorded position, investigators determined that Flight 2415 would need to follow a 7-degree glidepath in order to descend rapidly enough to reach the runway threshold. [1] :40 This is more than twice the glidepath angle for an ILS approach and would have required a high descent rate of 2,000 to 3,000 feet (610 to 915 m) per minute. [1] :40 Investigators also determined that ice had likely built up on the plane's wings during the flight, [4] creating a higher risk of a stall at low speeds. [1] :40 According to radar data, Flight 2415 had slowed to 110 knots (205 km/h; 125 mph) as it attempted to descend. The combination of an excessively steep descent, low speed, and aircraft icing likely resulted in loss of control of the aircraft. [1] :40 [5]

On November 4, 1991, the NTSB issued its final report on the crash, which contained the following conclusions: [1] :47

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the flightcrew's decision to continue an unstabilized instrument landing system approach that led to a stall, most likely of the horizontal stabilizer, and loss of control at low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the air traffic controller's improper vectors that positioned the airplane inside the outer marker while it was still well above the glideslope. Contributing to the stall and loss of control was the accumulation of airframe ice that degraded the aerodynamic performance of the airplane.

Related Research Articles

United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which five individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Florida Flight 90</span> 1982 airliner crash near Washington, D.C.

Air Florida Flight 90 was a scheduled U.S. domestic passenger flight operated by Air Florida from Washington National Airport to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, with an intermediate stopover at Tampa International Airport. On January 13, 1982, the Boeing 737-222 registered as N62AF crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River just after take off from Washington National Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instrument approach</span> Aircraft landing procedure

In aviation, an instrument approach or instrument approach procedure (IAP) is a series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft operating under instrument flight rules from the beginning of the initial approach to a landing, or to a point from which a landing may be made visually. These approaches are approved in the European Union by EASA and the respective country authorities and in the United States by the FAA or the United States Department of Defense for the military. The ICAO defines an instrument approach as "a series of predetermined maneuvers by reference to flight instruments with specific protection from obstacles from the initial approach fix, or where applicable, from the beginning of a defined arrival route to a point from which a landing can be completed and thereafter, if landing is not completed, to a position at which holding or en route obstacle clearance criteria apply."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tri-Cities Airport (Washington)</span> International airport in southeast Washington, United States

Tri-Cities Airport is a public airport in the northwest United States in Franklin County, Washington. Located two miles (3 km) northwest of Pasco, it serves the Tri-Cities metropolitan area in southeast Washington, and is the third largest commercial airport in the state. The facility has three runways and covers 2,235 acres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">USAir Flight 405</span> 1992 plane crash in New York City

USAir Flight 405 was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight between LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York City, New York, and Cleveland, Ohio. On March 22, 1992, a USAir Fokker F28, registration N485US, flying the route, crashed in poor weather in a partially inverted position in Flushing Bay, shortly after liftoff from LaGuardia. The undercarriage lifted off from the runway, but the airplane failed to gain lift, flying only several meters above the ground. The aircraft then veered off the runway and hit several obstructions before coming to rest in Flushing Bay, just beyond the end of the runway. Of the 51 people on board, 27 were killed, including the captain and a member of the cabin crew.

<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">American Eagle Flight 4184</span> 1994 plane crash in Indiana, US

American Eagle Flight 4184, officially operating as Simmons Airlines Flight 4184, was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Indianapolis, Indiana to Chicago, Illinois, United States. On October 31, 1994, the ATR 72 performing this route flew into severe icing conditions, lost control and crashed into a field. All 68 people aboard were killed in the high-speed impact.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comair Flight 3272</span> January 1997 plane crash in Michigan, US

Comair Flight 3272 was a Comair flight from Cincinnati to Detroit on Thursday, January 9, 1997. While on approach for landing, the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia aircraft crashed nose-down 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport at 15:54 EST. All 29 aboard, 26 passengers and three crew members, were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Aerospace Jetstream</span> Series of regional airliner and executive transport aircraft

The British Aerospace Jetstream is a small twin turboprop airliner, with a pressurised fuselage, developed as the Jetstream 31 from the earlier Handley Page Jetstream. A larger version of the Jetstream was also manufactured, the British Aerospace Jetstream 41.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Express Flight 6291</span> 1994 plane crash in Ohio, United States

United Express Flight 6291 was a regularly scheduled United Express flight from Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C. to Port Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio. It was a service operated by Atlantic Coast Airlines on behalf of United Express.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Airlink Flight 5719</span> 1993 aviation accident

Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 was a flight from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport to International Falls Airport in International Falls, Minnesota with a scheduled intermediate stop at Chisholm-Hibbing Airport in Hibbing, Minnesota. On December 1, 1993, the Jetstream 31, operated by Express Airlines I as Northwest Airlink, collided with a group of trees in a forest during final approach to Hibbing, and crashed into two ridges northwest of the airport, killing all sixteen passengers and the two pilots on board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delta Air Lines Flight 723</span> 1973 aviation accident in Massachusetts, United States

Delta Air Lines Flight 723 was a flight operated by a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 twin-engine jetliner, operating as a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Burlington, Vermont, to Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, with an intermediate stop in Manchester, New Hampshire. On July 31, 1973, at 11:08 a.m., while on an instrument landing system (ILS) instrument approach into Logan in low clouds and fog, the aircraft descended below the glidepath, struck a seawall, and crashed. 88 of the 89 occupants aboard were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286</span> 1988 aviation accident

Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Denver, Colorado, to Durango, Colorado, operated for Continental Express by Trans-Colorado Airlines. On January 19, 1988, Flight 2286 crashed onto terrain near Bayfield, Colorado, while on approach to Durango-La Plata County Airport. Out of the seventeen people on board, nine were killed, including both crew members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Kulwicki plane crash</span> Aircraft accident

On the evening of April 1, 1993, NASCAR champion Alan Kulwicki was killed in an aviation accident when the Swearingen Merlin III twin turboprop he was traveling in crashed near Blountville, Tennessee, while on approach to the nearby Tri-Cities Regional Airport. All four people on board, including two executives of the Hooters restaurant chain, were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeroflot Flight 1912</span> 1971 aviation accident in the Soviet Union

Aeroflot Flight 1912 was a scheduled domestic Aeroflot passenger flight on the Odessa-Kiev (Kyiv)-Chelyabinsk-Novosibirsk-Irkutsk-Khabarovsk-Vladivostok route that crashed on 25 July 1971, making a hard landing at Irkutsk Airport. It touched down 150 metres (490 ft) short of the runway, breaking the left wing and catching fire. Of the 126 people on board the aircraft, 29 survived.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Airlines Flight 779</span> 1961 aviation accident

Alaska Airlines Flight 779 was a contract cargo flight operated on 21 July 1961 by an Alaska Airlines Douglas DC-6A that crashed short of the runway at Shemya Air Force Base with the loss of all six crew members on board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeroflot Flight 2808</span> 1992 aviation accident

Aeroflot Flight 2808 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Mineralnye Vody to Ivanovo, both in Russia, with a stopover in Donetsk, Ukraine on 27 August 1992. While attempting to land at Ivanovo airport, the Tupolev Tu-134 crashed into a group of buildings in the village of Lebyazhy Lug. Investigators determined the cause of the accident was errors made by the crew and the air traffic controller. There were no fatalities on the ground, but all 84 people on board the flight died in the crash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 East Coast Aviation Services British Aerospace Jetstream crash</span>

On May 21, 2000, a British Aerospace BAe-3101 Jetstream 3101 operated by East Coast Aviation Services crashed into mountainous terrain in Bear Creek Township, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The plane was carrying 17 professional gamblers returning home from Caesar's Palace Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, along with 2 crew members. It was chartered by Caesar's Palace. All 19 passengers and crews on board were killed on impact. This accident, alongside the accident of Aerocaribe Flight 7831 were the accidents with the most fatalities involving the Jetstream 3101 airliner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire Airlines Flight 8284</span> 2009 aviation accident

Empire Airlines Flight 8284 was a cargo flight operated by Empire Airlines for FedEx Feeder from Fort Worth Alliance Airport to Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, Texas. On January 27, 2009, it crashed on final approach to its destination. Both crew members survived with minor injuries but the aircraft was written off.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 "Unstabilized Approach and Loss of Control NPA, Inc., dba United Express Flight 2415, a British Aerospace BA-3101, N410UE, Tri-Cities Airport, Pasco, Washington, December 26, 1989" (PDF). Aircraft Accident Report. National Transportation Safety Board. November 4, 1991. NTSB/AAR-91/06. Retrieved September 1, 2016 via Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University.
  2. 1 2 "Plane crash kills 6". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. December 27, 1989. p. A1 via Google News.
  3. Eng, James L. (December 28, 1989). "Ice found at site of Pasco air crash". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. p. 1A via Google News.
  4. 1 2 "Plane that crashed reported light icing, investigator says". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 29, 1989. p. 5B via Google News.
  5. 1 2 Garrison, Peter (July 1992). "ICE STALLED THE TAIL". Flying .
  6. "CREW GAVE NO SIGN OF TROUBLE BEFORE FATAL PLANE CRASH". Associated Press . December 28, 1989. Retrieved September 1, 2016.