Marion

Departed Marion without a weather briefing. Pilot advised during approach that last person making approach reported moderate to severe turbulence on final. Subsequently cleared to land and given wind 360 at 30 gusting 40. Also advised that another aircraft reported a 20 knots windshear on final. The pilot reported that when he had descended to 1,500 feet msl, the aircraft encountered strong turbulence and the airspeed went from stall to redline. Despite adjustment to flaps and throttle, the airplane was uncontrollable.

The aircraft struck a 2-feet high Avgas pump while the pilot was taxiing around another aircraft that was parked. The nose gear collapsed and a small fire resulted. The pilot and passenger evacuated the aircraft. Line personnel were unable to extinguish the fire with hand-held extinguishers. The aircraft was subsequently engulfed by the fire and was destroyed. A large dry chemical fire extinguisher was located next to the pump at the time, but line personnel were unable to get to it due to the fire. The black top around the pump had recently been resurfaced and no safety markings, lights or barricades were in place around the pump (except for the large fire extinguisher). The pump was originally located next to the ramp edge, but subsequent expansion of the ramp left the pump surrounded by pavement.

During the takeoff run, at 85 knots, the aircraft hit a bump and the pilot stated his forward vision was obstructed by water on the windshield. He instinctively pulled back on the controls and become airborne. He lost sight of the right side set of runway lights and was reportedly flying 'blind.' The aircraft drifted left into trees and came to rest in shallow water in a backwater area 150 feet north of the departure end of runway 10. Many of the runway lights were either not operating or were obstructed. No lights in the last 1000 feet of the runway were both operating and unobstructed. The noaa airport/facility director contains a remark for the airport 'runway subject to flooding after very heavy rains.' This remark does not appear in the Jeppesen 'airport directory' that the pilot was using. After the accident the pilot stated he walked through the eastern end of the runway and found himself 'up to his ankles' in about 3 inches of water. All four occupants escaped with minor injuries.

Ozark Air Lines Flight 809, an FH-227B, was a regular flight between Nashville Metropolitan Airport, TN (BNA) and St. Louis (STL), with intermediate stops at Clarksville, TN (CKV), Paducah, KY (PAH), Cape Girardeau Airport, MO (CGI) and Marion-Williamson County Airport, IL (MWA) with an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The flight departed Marion at 17:05. The flight proceeded via the V-335 airway toward St. Louis without difficulty. At 17:26, the Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center (KCC) controller requested that Flight 809 make a 360 degree turn to the right. He advised that there would be about a 5-minute delay and that the right turn would keep the flight clear of the weather. At 17:28, the KCC controller cleared the flight to proceed to the St. Louis VOR and to contact St. Louis Approach Control. One minute later the first officer transmitted, "Approach, this is Ozark eight oh nine, seven thousand, with Quebec." Weather information 'Quebec' indicated: Estimated ceiling-4,000 feet broken, visibility-5 miles, haze and smoke, wind-120° at 8 knots , temperature-92 degrees, altimeter-30.06, ILS runway 12R approaches in use, landing and departing runways 12. The approach controller responded: "Ozark eight oh nine, Roger, maintain seven thousand and, ... continue toward the VOR, be vectors runway three zero left ILS." Between 17:32 and 17:39, the approach controller gave Flight 809 radar vectors through an area of thunderstorm cells that lay south and southeast of the St. Louis Airport. At 17:40, the controller cleared the flight for an ILS approach to runway 30L and cleared the flight crew to contact the St. Louis Control Tower. The Tower controller cleared the flight to land. At 17:42:31, the local controller said, "Ozark eight oh nine, it looks like a heavy rain shower moving right across the approach end of the runway now." The first officer replied, "Roger, we see it." After passing the Outer Marker, the aircraft began to descend below the glide slope until it struck the ground. First, the aircraft struck tree tops about 55 feet above the ground then crashed on a hillside located less than two miles from runway 30L threshold, in the district of Normandy. Two crew members and four passengers survived while all 38 other occupants were killed.

While on a VOR approach to Marion Airport, the pilot encountered limited visibility and descended below the MDA when the single engine airplane struck trees and crashed. The pilot was injured while the passenger was killed.

On final approach to Tupelo Airport, the pilot was unable to locate the runway due to limited visibility. Circling the field following a straight-in approach, the pilot lost control of the airplane that crashed on the field. The passenger was injured while the pilot was killed.

The purpose of this flight was to transport the executives from Midway Airport, Chicago, Illinois, to Baltimore, Maryland. Departure from Midway was at 1645LT. When the flight was near Marion, Ohio, and shortly after it had traversed an area of pronounced thunderstorm activity, it dived violently and nearly vertically to the ground. Destruction was of such extent that it could not be determined if a structural failure occurred in flight and consequently the probable cause of this accident could not be established.

While cruising by night over Missouri, the crew did not realize his altitude was too low. The aircraft hit a ridge and crashed in a mountainous region located 5,6 miles south of Ironton. All five occupants were killed.