Kentucky

On final approach to Paducah-Barkley Airport, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with low ceiling, rain and fog. Too low, the twin engine airplane struck trees and crashed few dozen yards short of runway threshold. Both pilots were slightly injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Just after liftoff, the twin engine airplane encountered difficulties to gain height. It nosed down and struck the runway surface with its propellers. Out of control, it veered off runway and came to rest in flames. The passenger was slightly injured while both pilots were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

Few minutes after takeoff, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions. Two other aircraft return to their base while the pilot of N6248B decided to continue. While cruising at low height in fog, the airplane struck a radio antenna (406 feet high) and crashed in an open field. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot, sole on board, was killed.

Flight 128 was a scheduled domestic flight from Los Angeles International Airport, California, to Boston, Massachusetts, with intermediate stops at Cincinnati, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The departure from Los Angeles was delayed due to an equipment change but the aircraft was airworthy at the time of departure. The only carry- over discrepancy was an inoperative generator which had no bearing on this accident. The flight took off from Los Angeles at 1737 hours Eastern Standard Time. The descent into the Cincinnati area from cruising altitude was delayed due to conflicting traffic and was initiated closer to the destination than normal. It required the crew to conduct the descent with a higher than normal rate toward the initial approach fix. The crew discussed the technique they were going to use to increase the rate of descent, and evidence revealed that they were relaxed, unworried and operating within the established operating limits of the aircraft. As the flight reported leaving 15 500 ft remarks were made in the cockpit about the rapidity of the descent and the hope, apparently with reference to the underlying cloud conditions, that it would be a thin layer. The crew checked the anti-icing equipment and conversations after that time indicated that they were not aware of any discrepancies regarding that system. Control of the flight was normal until the flight was turned over to the approach controller who failed to provide the crew with the current altimeter setting of 30.07 in Hg instead of 30.06 previously given to the crew. However, shortly after the crew intercepted a transmission to another aircraft containing the current altimeter setting of 30.07 they set and cross-checked that setting on their altimeters. Throughout the descent, the co-pilot called out the appropriate warnings to the pilot-in-command as the aircraft approached assigned altitudes and apparently performed all of his assigned duties without prompting by the pilot-in-command. Crew coordination was very good during that portion of the flight. The weather conditions in the Cincinnati area were such that the crew should have established visual contact with the ground by the time they reached 3 000 to 4 000 ft. As the flight approached the final fix, approximately 7 minutes before the accident, the crew was given the latest reported weather which indicated that the ceiling was approximately 1 000 ft and the visibility was 13 miles in snow and haze. Approximately 1 minute later they were reminded that the ILS glide slope was out of service, as well as the middle marker beacon and the approach lights. The crew acknowledged receipt of this information and planned their approach to the proper minimum altitude of 1 290 ft AMSL, 400 ft above the ground, to allow for these outages. From this point in the approach to the outer marker, the aircraft altitudes and headings were in general agreement with altitudes reported by the crew and the headings they were instructed to fly. Operation of the aircraft was normal and the proper configuration was established for the approach to the outer marker in accordance with the company's operating instructions. The crew reported over the outer marker at 2056 hours and were cleared to land on runway 18 and advised that the wind was 090°/8 kt and the RVR more than 6 000 ft (see Fig. 22-1). The co-pilot reported to the pilot-in-command that they were past the marker and that there was no glide slope. The pilot-in-command acknowledged this and stated ". . . We gotta go down to, ah, four hundred, that would be, ah." At this point, the co-pilot supplied the information "twelve ninety" and the pilot-in-command repeated "twelve ninety." The flight had arrived at the outer marker with the landing gear down, the flaps set at 40' down at an altitude of approximately 2 340 it and at an airspeed of approximately 200 kt. (The prescribed minimum altitude over the outer marker beacon, 4 miles from the threshold, was 1 973 ft AMSL). After the aircraft passed the outer marker, a rate of descent of 1 800 ft/min was established at an airspeed of about 190 kt. The rate of descent was greater than that recommended by the company for an instrument approach and remained nearly constant until approximately 20 sec before the first recorded sound of impact. At that time the rate increased to approximately 3 000 ft/min coincident with a request for 50° flaps, and a decrease in thrust, and then decreased to about 1 800 ft/min until about 5 sec before the initial contact. Prior to initial contact, the aircraft was rotated to a virtually level attitude, the rate of descent was decreasing, the airspeed was about 191 kt, and the indicated altitude was about 900 ft AMSL. The aircraft first struck small tree limbs at an elevation of approximately 875 ft AMSL, 9 357 it short of the approach end of runway 18 and 429 it right of the extended runway centre line. After several more impacts with trees and the ground, the aircraft came to rest approximately 6 878 it from the runway and 442 ft right of the extended runway centre line and burst into flames. A stewardess who survived the accident stated that the first noticeable impact felt like a hard landing. None of the survivors recalled any increase of engine power or felt any rotation of the aircraft. The accident occurred at 2057 hours during darkness in an area where snow was falling. Five crew members and 65 passengers were killed while 12 other occupants were seriously injured.

TWA Flight 159 was a scheduled domestic flight from New York to Los Angeles with an intermediate stop at the Greater Cincinnati Airport. It departed the ramp at Cincinnati at 1833 hours Eastern Standard Time. As it was approaching runway 27L for take-off, Delta Air Lines, Inc., DC-9, N-3317L, operating as Flight DAL 379, was landing. As DAL 379 was completing its landing roll, the crew requested and received clearance for a 180° turnaround on the runway in order to return to the intersection of runway 18-36 which they had just passed. After turning through approximately 90°, the nosewheel slipped off the paved surface and the aircraft moved straight ahead off the runway during which time it became mired. The throttles were retarded to idle, and power was not increased again. At 1839:05 hours as DAL 379 was in the process of clearing the runway, TWA 159 was cleared for take-off. The local controller testified that before TWA 159 began moving, he observed that DAL 379 had stopped. He stated that although DAL 379 appeared to be clear of the runway, he requested confirmation from the crew who replied, "Yeah, we're in the dirt, though." Following this report the controller stated "TWA 159 he's clear of the runway, cleared for take-off, company jet on final behind you." Take- off performance had been computed as V1 132 knots, VR 140 knots, V2 150 knots. In fact DAL 379 was stopped on a heading of 004' and located 4 600 ft from the threshold of runway 27L with its aft-most point being approximately 7 ft north of the runway edge, the aft-most exterior lights located on the wing tip and the upper and lower anti-collision lights being approximately 45 ft from the runway edge. The crew of TWA 159 did not have DAL 379 in sight when they commenced the take-off roll. The co-pilot was performing the take-off and the pilot-in-command drew his attention to DAL 379 as the aircraft appeared in their landing lights they could see that it was off the runway by Some 5-7 ft. As TWA 159 passed abeam of DAL 379 the co-pilot experienced a movement of the flight controls and the aircraft yawed. Simultaneously there was a loud bang from the right side of the aircraft. The last airspeed he had observed was 120 knots and assuming that the aircraft was at or near V1, and that a collision had occurred, he elected to abort the take-off . He stated that he closed the power levers, placed them in full reverse, applied maximum braking, and called for the spoilers which the pilot-in-command operated. Directional control was maintained but the aircraft ran off the end of the runway, rolled across the terrain for approximately 225 ft, to the brow of a hill, and became airborne momentarily. It next contacted the ground approximately 67 ft further down the embankment, the main landing gear was torn off and the nosewheel was displaced rearward, forcing the cabin floor upward by approximately 15 in. The aircraft slid down the embankment and came to rest on a road approximately 421 ft from the end of the runway. The accident occurred at approximately 1841 hours, in darkness. A passenger was killed, another was seriously injured, five others were slightly injured. The aircraft was written off.

Shortly after takeoff from Lexington-Blue Grass Airport, while in initial climb, the left engine caught fire. The pilot elected to return for an emergency landing and made a turn when control was lost. The airplane dove into the ground and crashed in a huge explosion in a field. All nine occupants were killed, among them several doctors and scientists.
Crew:
Robert Yonk, pilot.
Passengers:
Dr. Richard Schweet,
Dr. R. C. Simonini,
Dr. Jerome Cohn,
Dr. S. O. Navarro,
G. Reynolds Watkins,
Richard H. Southwood Jr.,
Dr. Arnold Salop,
Max Horn.

While in cruising altitude in poor weather conditions, the right engine failed. Shortly later, the pilot lost control of the airplane that dove into the ground and crashed in an isolated area. The wreckage was found a day later and all three occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, weather was poor with snow falls and icing conditions.

En route, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with snow showers. In a visibility reduced to two miles, the pilot-in-command lost control of the airplane that dove into the ground and crashed in a huge explosion in an open field. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed.

American Airlines Flight 383, a Boeing 727, N1996, departed New York-LaGuardia Airport (LGA) at 17:38 for a scheduled flight to the Greater Cincinnati Airport (CVG). It was to be an IFR flight with a requested cruising altitude of 35,000 ft and an estimated time en route of 1 hour 23 minutes. The en route part of the flight was uneventful. About 18:55, when the flight was about 27 miles southeast of the Greater Cincinnati Airport, radar traffic control was effected by Cincinnati Approach Control. Subsequent descent clearances were issued to the flight and at 18:57 flight 383 reported: "...out of five for four and how about a control VFR, we have the airport." The Approach Controller replied: "... continue to the airport and cleared for a visual approach to runway one eight, precip lying just to the west boundary of the airport and its ... southbound." The crew acknowledged the clearance and the controller cleared the flight to descend to 2,000 feet at their discretion. At 18:58 Approach Control advised the flight that its radar position was six miles southeast of the airport and instructed them to change to the Cincinnati tower frequency. One minute later the tower controller cleared the flight to land. During the approach the visibility at the airport deteriorated as it began to rain. The tower controller reported: "American three eighty three we are beginning to pickup a little rain right now." At 19:01:14 the tower asked: "American three eighty three you still got the runway Okay?" To which the crew replied "Ah just barely we'll ah pickup the ILS here". At this point, thirteen seconds before impact, the 727 was descending at a rate of 2100 feet/min to an altitude of approximately 725 feet (165 ft below published field elevation) with the airspeed holding at 160 knots. The descent rate then decreased to about 625 ft/min for approximately the last 10 seconds of flight with the airspeed decreasing to 147 knots at impact. The right wing struck a tree at an altitude of 665 feet msl which is approximately 225 feet below the published field elevation. The aircraft slid a distance of 340 feet relatively intact through scrub trees and ground foilage before impacting and coming to rest amidst a group of larger trees. Following impact an intense ground fire erupted which completely destroyed the aircraft cabin forward of the tail section. A stewardess and three passengers survived while 58 other occupants were killed.

While in cruising altitude, the propeller blades on the left engine detached. Control was lost and the airplane dove into the ground and crashed in a lake located near Henderson. The aircraft was destroyed and all four occupants were killed.