American Airlines Flight 1572
Encyclopedia
American Airlines
Flight 1572, registration N566AA, was a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 flying from Chicago O'Hare that was damaged while landing short of the runway at Hartford
's Bradley International Airport
on November 12, 1995.
's Bradley International Airport
on November 12, 1995. The flight departed O'Hare over 90 minutes late due to bad weather and delayed connecting passengers. En route the flight received an ACARS printout for the weather at Hartford. It noted an altimeter setting (atmospheric pressure
) of 29.42 inches of mercury (996.3 hPa), adding that pressure was falling rapidly in the area. Before making their final approach the pilots were further advised of a wind shear
warning and severe thunderstorms for Hartford. Winds were now out of 170° at 29 knots (15.8 m/s) gusting to 39 knots (21.2 m/s). The First Officer checked the Automatic Terminal Information Service
(ATIS) automated weather broadcast for Hartford which reported an altimeter setting of 29.4 inHg (995.6 hPa). For reasons unknown he entered this as 29.47 inHg (998 hPa) on the altimeter causing it to read approximately 70 feet (21.3 m) high. The Captain checked the weather radar before beginning the non-precision approach to runway 15. It showed no convective cells on the aircraft's path and he turned it off. As Flight 1572 began its final approach the crew was advised that the control tower was closing temporarily due to severe weather buckling a window inside the cab. The tower supervisor remained behind to assist the flight. The Captain noticed the autopilot was having difficulty maintaining altitude and heading in the buffeting winds. Five miles from the airport the aircraft encountered heavy rain and some turbulence. The flight continued descending to 908 ft (276.8 m), the minimum descent altitude (MDA) for the approach. This was likely 838 ft (255.4 m) due to the incorrect altimeter setting. As the crew began to look for the airport the aircraft continued descending.
ridge. It was later estimated the plane was at 770 ft (234.7 m) elevation at this point. The Captain advanced the throttles to full power but the trees had been ingested into the engines causing them to flame out and shut down. The Captain immediately lowered flaps to 40° hoping it would momentarily cause the aircraft to "balloon" upwards. While not standard operating procedure it worked to a limited extent until the aircraft clipped a tree near the end of the runway. It then impacted the runway 33 ILS
antenna equipment at the approach end of runway 15 before rolling to a stop with only one minor passenger injury.
(NTSB) investigation cited several causes for this accident. It faulted the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) for designing the approach to runway 15 without taking the ridgeline into consideration. The new approach, which factors in the terrain, has increased the MDA to 1320 ft (402.3 m). However it cited pilot error as the primary cause due to an incorrect altimeter setting combined with the crew's failure to level off at the MDA. The report also noted since pressure was falling rapidly, the crew should have requested a more recent altimeter setting from the tower - the ATIS broadcast is normally updated hourly or whenever weather conditions change and the First Officer had noted that the ATIS recording was over 90 minutes old. While turbulence, heavy rain and wind shear affected the aircraft, the crew continued to allow it to descend while searching for the airport.
The cockpit voice recording of the incident became part of the script of a play called Charlie Victor Romeo
.
The flight number is still used today on American's Dallas/Fort Worth-Washington, D.C.(Dulles) route.
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
Flight 1572, registration N566AA, was a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 flying from Chicago O'Hare that was damaged while landing short of the runway at Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
's Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Windsor Locks on the border with East Granby and Suffield, in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is owned by the State of Connecticut....
on November 12, 1995.
Flight history
Flight 1572 was en route from Chicago O'Hare to HartfordHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
's Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Windsor Locks on the border with East Granby and Suffield, in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is owned by the State of Connecticut....
on November 12, 1995. The flight departed O'Hare over 90 minutes late due to bad weather and delayed connecting passengers. En route the flight received an ACARS printout for the weather at Hartford. It noted an altimeter setting (atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted into a surface by the weight of air above that surface in the atmosphere of Earth . In most circumstances atmospheric pressure is closely approximated by the hydrostatic pressure caused by the weight of air above the measurement point...
) of 29.42 inches of mercury (996.3 hPa), adding that pressure was falling rapidly in the area. Before making their final approach the pilots were further advised of a wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
warning and severe thunderstorms for Hartford. Winds were now out of 170° at 29 knots (15.8 m/s) gusting to 39 knots (21.2 m/s). The First Officer checked the Automatic Terminal Information Service
Automatic Terminal Information Service
Automatic Terminal Information Service, or ATIS, is a continuous broadcast of recorded noncontrol information in busier terminal areas. ATIS broadcasts contain essential information, such as weather information, which runways are active, available approaches, and any other information required by...
(ATIS) automated weather broadcast for Hartford which reported an altimeter setting of 29.4 inHg (995.6 hPa). For reasons unknown he entered this as 29.47 inHg (998 hPa) on the altimeter causing it to read approximately 70 feet (21.3 m) high. The Captain checked the weather radar before beginning the non-precision approach to runway 15. It showed no convective cells on the aircraft's path and he turned it off. As Flight 1572 began its final approach the crew was advised that the control tower was closing temporarily due to severe weather buckling a window inside the cab. The tower supervisor remained behind to assist the flight. The Captain noticed the autopilot was having difficulty maintaining altitude and heading in the buffeting winds. Five miles from the airport the aircraft encountered heavy rain and some turbulence. The flight continued descending to 908 ft (276.8 m), the minimum descent altitude (MDA) for the approach. This was likely 838 ft (255.4 m) due to the incorrect altimeter setting. As the crew began to look for the airport the aircraft continued descending.
Crash
At some point during the descent, the sink rate alarm went off immediately followed by a loud thump as the aircraft began shearing off treetops along Peak MountainPeak Mountain
Peak Mountain, also called Copper Mountain, est. , is a traprock mountain located in East Granby, Connecticut, south of the Massachusetts border and 6 miles west of the Connecticut River...
ridge. It was later estimated the plane was at 770 ft (234.7 m) elevation at this point. The Captain advanced the throttles to full power but the trees had been ingested into the engines causing them to flame out and shut down. The Captain immediately lowered flaps to 40° hoping it would momentarily cause the aircraft to "balloon" upwards. While not standard operating procedure it worked to a limited extent until the aircraft clipped a tree near the end of the runway. It then impacted the runway 33 ILS
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
antenna equipment at the approach end of runway 15 before rolling to a stop with only one minor passenger injury.
NTSB Investigation
The National Transportation Safety BoardNational Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
(NTSB) investigation cited several causes for this accident. It faulted the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
(FAA) for designing the approach to runway 15 without taking the ridgeline into consideration. The new approach, which factors in the terrain, has increased the MDA to 1320 ft (402.3 m). However it cited pilot error as the primary cause due to an incorrect altimeter setting combined with the crew's failure to level off at the MDA. The report also noted since pressure was falling rapidly, the crew should have requested a more recent altimeter setting from the tower - the ATIS broadcast is normally updated hourly or whenever weather conditions change and the First Officer had noted that the ATIS recording was over 90 minutes old. While turbulence, heavy rain and wind shear affected the aircraft, the crew continued to allow it to descend while searching for the airport.
The cockpit voice recording of the incident became part of the script of a play called Charlie Victor Romeo
Charlie Victor Romeo
Charlie Victor Romeo is a 1999 play whose script consists of almost-verbatim transcripts from six real-life aviation accidents and incidents. "Charlie Victor Romeo," or CVR, derived from the NATO phonetic alphabet, is aviation lingo for cockpit voice recorder...
.
The flight number is still used today on American's Dallas/Fort Worth-Washington, D.C.(Dulles) route.