American Airlines Flight 383
Encyclopedia
American Airlines Flight 383 was a nonstop flight from New York
to Cincinnati on November 8, 1965. The aircraft was a Boeing 727-123
aircraft with 62 people on board. The aircraft crashed on approach to the Greater Cincinnati Airport. Only four individuals survived, including three passengers, and one flight attendant.
, registration number N1996, c/n 18901/153. The first flight of this aircraft was on June 15, 1965. It was delivered to American Airlines on June 28, 1965. At the time of the accident the total airframe hours were 938. The aircraft was powered by three Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7 engines.
of 19:05. The weather was fine near the airport except for thunder clouds developing northwest of the airport across the Ohio River
valley. The aircraft approached the airport from the southeast and turned its heading to north to cross the Ohio River. It turned west after crossing to the northern shore of the Ohio River, intending to make a final turn to southeast after crossing the Ohio River (which runs from northwest to southeast) again to the southern shore of the river. After that final turn, the aircraft would line up with the runway 18 of the airport to make the final approach. The pilots were attempting to make the landing on visual.
valley while crossing the river back to the southern shore. When it made its last turn to the southeast to line up with the runway, it flew into the wooded slopes of the valley 3 km north of the runway threshold in poor visibility, at an altitude of -225 ft (i.e. 225 ft (68.6 m) below the runway's altitude). It then exploded and was engulfed in flames.
. The flight data recorder
showed the aircraft descended through 500 feet (152.4 m) in the last 42 seconds before impact, a normal rate of descent for the landing phase of operation. It was later believed that the following factors might have contributed to the crash:
, an American record producer.
Robert Arthur Bargeron (born November 4, 1916) was a casualty. He was vice president of Health and Welfare for the United PaperMakers and PaperWorkers AFL CIO and left behind a wife, Constance Lydiard Bargeron, and four young children, Willow, Winter, Hunter and Heather of Blandford, Massachusetts.
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New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to Cincinnati on November 8, 1965. The aircraft was a Boeing 727-123
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
aircraft with 62 people on board. The aircraft crashed on approach to the Greater Cincinnati Airport. Only four individuals survived, including three passengers, and one flight attendant.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 727-100Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
, registration number N1996, c/n 18901/153. The first flight of this aircraft was on June 15, 1965. It was delivered to American Airlines on June 28, 1965. At the time of the accident the total airframe hours were 938. The aircraft was powered by three Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7 engines.
Events leading to the crash
The flight was delayed for 20 minutes in New York but the flight itself was uneventful. At 18:45, the crew called Cincinnati tower for an ETAEstimated time of arrival
The estimated time of arrival or ETA is a measure of when a ship, vehicle, aircraft, cargo, emergency service or computer file is expected to arrive at a certain place...
of 19:05. The weather was fine near the airport except for thunder clouds developing northwest of the airport across the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
valley. The aircraft approached the airport from the southeast and turned its heading to north to cross the Ohio River. It turned west after crossing to the northern shore of the Ohio River, intending to make a final turn to southeast after crossing the Ohio River (which runs from northwest to southeast) again to the southern shore of the river. After that final turn, the aircraft would line up with the runway 18 of the airport to make the final approach. The pilots were attempting to make the landing on visual.
Crash
The aircraft flew into thick cloud and thunderstorm after flying into the northwest of the airport. It descended more rapidly than it should have, without either pilot in the cockpit noticing. The airport is situated at an altitude of 853 feet (260 m) and the aircraft had descended to the level of 553 ft (168.6 m) above the airport while it was still about 5 miles northeast of the airport. It descended to just 3 ft (per altimeter) above the airport while it was about 3 nm north of the airport. Its correct altitude should have been just below 1000 ft (304.8 m) at that time. It continued its descent into the Ohio RiverOhio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
valley while crossing the river back to the southern shore. When it made its last turn to the southeast to line up with the runway, it flew into the wooded slopes of the valley 3 km north of the runway threshold in poor visibility, at an altitude of -225 ft (i.e. 225 ft (68.6 m) below the runway's altitude). It then exploded and was engulfed in flames.
Investigation
The Civil Aeronautics Board conducted the subsequent investigation. The investigation concluded that the aircraft was working normally and fully under the control of the pilots at the time of the crash. The aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorderCockpit voice recorder
A cockpit voice recorder , often referred to as a "black box", is a flight recorder used to record the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft for the purpose of investigation of accidents and incidents...
. The flight data recorder
Flight data recorder
A flight data recorder is an electronic device employed to record any instructions sent to any electronic systems on an aircraft. It is a device used to record specific aircraft performance parameters...
showed the aircraft descended through 500 feet (152.4 m) in the last 42 seconds before impact, a normal rate of descent for the landing phase of operation. It was later believed that the following factors might have contributed to the crash:
- Lights from the houses in the Ohio River valley, located 400 feet (121.9 m) below the altitude of the airport, may have conveyed an illusion of runway lights.
- The flight crew may have been confused about their true altitude, due to misinterpretation of the aircraft's drum-type altimeterAltimeterAn altimeter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The measurement of altitude is called altimetry, which is related to the term bathymetry, the measurement of depth underwater.-Pressure altimeter:...
after descending through 0 feet (relative to the airport altitude), or they may have had their hands full controlling the plane in severe weather and simply failed to notice the readings on the altimeter. - A late departure from New York and the deteriorating weather at Cincinnati may have put pressure on the flight crew.
- Despite the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, the flight crew chose to make a visual approach to the runway.
Notable passengers
One of the survivors was Israel HorowitzIsrael Horowitz (producer)
Israel Horowitz was an American record producer who became an editor and columnist on classical music at Billboard magazine....
, an American record producer.
Robert Arthur Bargeron (born November 4, 1916) was a casualty. He was vice president of Health and Welfare for the United PaperMakers and PaperWorkers AFL CIO and left behind a wife, Constance Lydiard Bargeron, and four young children, Willow, Winter, Hunter and Heather of Blandford, Massachusetts.
See also
- American Airlines Flight 1420American Airlines Flight 1420American Airlines Flight 1420 was a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Little Rock National Airport in USA. On June 1, 1999, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 overran the runway upon landing in Little Rock and crashed...
- Air safetyAir safetyAir safety is a term encompassing the theory, investigation and categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through regulation, education and training. It can also be applied in the context of campaigns that inform the public as to the safety of air travel.-United...
- South African Airways Flight 228South African Airways Flight 228South African Airways Flight 228 was a scheduled flight from Jan Smuts International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa to London Heathrow International Airport that flew into the ground soon after take-off after a scheduled stopover in Windhoek, South West Africa . Five passengers survived...
(pilot error reading a drum-type altimeter on a Boeing 707)
External links
- Full Civil Aeronautics Board report
- NTSB brief DCA66A0003
- Detail Description of the events and investigation of the crash from CASA Flight Safety Magazine (Feb 2006 issue)
- The last words of the flight crew
- NTSB brief on another American Airlines Flight 383 incident on June 16, 1993 (non-fatal)
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