Northwest Airlink Flight 5719
Encyclopedia
Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 was a flight from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
| in Minneapolis
, Minnesota
, United States
to Falls International Airport
in International Falls, Minnesota
with a scheduled intermediate stop at Chisholm-Hibbing Airport
| in Hibbing, Minnesota
; on December 1, 1993 a Jetstream 31 operated by Express II as Northwest Airlink
crashed into two ridges just east of Hibbing.
All sixteen passengers and two pilots aboard died in the accident.
Up till moments before the crash, Flight 5719 was uneventful. No distress signal was ever sent.
Flight 5719 was cleared for a landing on runway 31, but the flight crew requested a approach to runway 13 instead because there was a tailwind on the approach to 31 and the runway was also covered with precipitation. The flight crew initiated the approach procedure by joining the HIB 20 DME arc from the HIB VOR and intercepting the localizer at 8000 feet msl. This delayed the start of the descent. This subsequently required an excessive rate of descent. The aircraft descended at 2250 ft/min and was 1200 feet above the minimum altitude when overhead the KINNY final approach fix. The aircraft continued its descent and descended through the 2040 feet step down altitude. The aircraft finally struck the top of a tree, continued and struck a group of aspen trees 634 feet later. The plane struck two ridges and came to rest inverted and lying on its right side.
During the NTSB's investigation, it was learned that Captain Marvin Falitz had failed three semiannual proficiency checks over the last five years preceding the accident. Falitz was said to have a reputation for following company procedures and being meticulous with flight check lists but three first officers accused him of being deliberately rough on the flight controls. A chief pilot described Falitz as competent but intimidating and provocative with colleagues. Falitz was accused of once slapping a co-pilot's headphones in anger.
The probable cause for the crash of Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 was determined to be "The captain's actions that led to a breakdown in crew coordination and the loss of altitude awareness by the flight crew during an unstabilized approach in night instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident were: the failure of the company management to adequately address the previously identified deficiencies in airmanship and crew resource management of the captain; the failure of the company to identify and correct a widespread, unapproved practice during instrument approach procedures; and the Federal Aviation Administration's inadequate surveillance and oversight of the air carrier."
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in the five-state upper Midwest region of Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.-Overview:...
| in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to Falls International Airport
Falls International Airport
Falls International Airport is a public airport located just south of the city of International Falls in Koochiching County, Minnesota, USA. The airport covers and has two runways...
in International Falls, Minnesota
International Falls, Minnesota
International Falls is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,424 at the 2010 census....
with a scheduled intermediate stop at Chisholm-Hibbing Airport
Chisholm-Hibbing Airport
Range Regional Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Hibbing, a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. It was formerly known as Chisholm-Hibbing Airport or Chisholm-Hibbing Municipal Airport...
| in Hibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing, Minnesota
Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,361 at the 2010 census. The city was built on the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range. At the edge of town is the largest open-pit iron mine in the world. U.S...
; on December 1, 1993 a Jetstream 31 operated by Express II as Northwest Airlink
Northwest Airlink
Northwest Airlink was the trade name of Northwest Airlines' regional airline service, which flew turboprop and regional jet aircraft from Northwest's domestic hubs in Minneapolis, Detroit, and Memphis...
crashed into two ridges just east of Hibbing.
All sixteen passengers and two pilots aboard died in the accident.
Flight
Flight 5719 took off over 40 minutes late from Minneapolis-St. Paul. This was due to the aircraft's late arrival in Minneapolis-St. Paul plus the replacement of landing light bulbs, and that the aircraft was overweight causing one passenger to be removed from the aircraft.Up till moments before the crash, Flight 5719 was uneventful. No distress signal was ever sent.
Flight 5719 was cleared for a landing on runway 31, but the flight crew requested a approach to runway 13 instead because there was a tailwind on the approach to 31 and the runway was also covered with precipitation. The flight crew initiated the approach procedure by joining the HIB 20 DME arc from the HIB VOR and intercepting the localizer at 8000 feet msl. This delayed the start of the descent. This subsequently required an excessive rate of descent. The aircraft descended at 2250 ft/min and was 1200 feet above the minimum altitude when overhead the KINNY final approach fix. The aircraft continued its descent and descended through the 2040 feet step down altitude. The aircraft finally struck the top of a tree, continued and struck a group of aspen trees 634 feet later. The plane struck two ridges and came to rest inverted and lying on its right side.
Investigation
At first, icing was considered as a possible cause of the crash.During the NTSB's investigation, it was learned that Captain Marvin Falitz had failed three semiannual proficiency checks over the last five years preceding the accident. Falitz was said to have a reputation for following company procedures and being meticulous with flight check lists but three first officers accused him of being deliberately rough on the flight controls. A chief pilot described Falitz as competent but intimidating and provocative with colleagues. Falitz was accused of once slapping a co-pilot's headphones in anger.
The probable cause for the crash of Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 was determined to be "The captain's actions that led to a breakdown in crew coordination and the loss of altitude awareness by the flight crew during an unstabilized approach in night instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident were: the failure of the company management to adequately address the previously identified deficiencies in airmanship and crew resource management of the captain; the failure of the company to identify and correct a widespread, unapproved practice during instrument approach procedures; and the Federal Aviation Administration's inadequate surveillance and oversight of the air carrier."