Piedmont Airlines Flight 22
Encyclopedia
Piedmont Airlines Flight 22 was a Piedmont Airlines
Boeing 727-22
on a scheduled airline flight in the United States
from Asheville Regional Airport
in Asheville
, North Carolina
to Roanoke Regional Airport
in Roanoke
, Virginia
. Shortly after departure, the flight collided with a twin-engine Cessna 310
on approach to the same airport. Both aircraft were destroyed and all passengers and crew killed.
The aircraft were both operating under instrument flight rules
and both were in radio contact with the Asheville control tower, though on different frequencies.
(NTSB), newly formed to replace the Civil Aeronautics Board. The NTSB's report placed the primary responsibility for the accident on the Cessna pilot, while citing air traffic control
procedures as a contributing factor, and recommended a review of minimum pilot skill levels required for instrument flight
.
Houle also mentioned that, at the time, the newly-formed NTSB was not fully independent of the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), since both reported to the Department of Transportation. Houle claimed that these conflicts of interest led the NTSB to avoid citing either Piedmont or FAA controllers as primary causes of the accident.
In early 2007, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) decided to confirm their biased findings, upholding the probable cause it found in 1968 for the midair collision. In a February 2007 letter, the NTSB notified Paul Houle it had voted 3-1 that his arguments (despite being vitally relevant facts) were unsubstantiated (Letter from Mark Rosenker
, NTSB Chairman, February, 2007).
, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and Robert McNamara's
closest advisor, was a passenger on Flight 22, along with his wife and son.
Piedmont Airlines (1948-1989)
Piedmont Airlines was a major airline in the United States which operated from 1948 until its operations were merged into USAir in 1989. Its headquarters were located at One Piedmont Plaza in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a building which is now part of Wake Forest University.As of April 1989,...
Boeing 727-22
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...
on a scheduled airline flight in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from Asheville Regional Airport
Asheville Regional Airport
Asheville Regional Airport is a Class C airport near Interstate 40 and Interstate 26 near the town of Fletcher, south of the city of Asheville, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is owned by the city of Asheville...
in Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
to Roanoke Regional Airport
Roanoke Regional Airport
Roanoke Regional Airport , also known as Woodrum Field, is a public airport located approximately north of downtown Roanoke, Virginia, United States. It has two runways and over 60 scheduled flights each day...
in Roanoke
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Shortly after departure, the flight collided with a twin-engine Cessna 310
Cessna 310
The Cessna 310 is an American six-seat, low-wing, twin-engined monoplane that was produced by Cessna between 1954 and 1980. It was the first twin-engined aircraft that Cessna put into production after World War II.-Development:...
on approach to the same airport. Both aircraft were destroyed and all passengers and crew killed.
The aircraft were both operating under instrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....
and both were in radio contact with the Asheville control tower, though on different frequencies.
Original investigation
This was the first major airline accident investigated by 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), newly formed to replace the Civil Aeronautics Board. The NTSB's report placed the primary responsibility for the accident on the Cessna pilot, while citing air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
procedures as a contributing factor, and recommended a review of minimum pilot skill levels required for instrument flight
Instrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....
.
Controversy and new investigation
In 2006, however, 38 years after the accident, the NTSB agreed to reopen the investigation because of apparent irregularities identified by Paul Houle, a historian who spent several years studying the accident. Houle alleged the following problems with the NTSB's original investigation:- The original NTSB report omitted the fact that the Cessna pilot had properly reported his heading, which should have alerted air traffic control to a potential conflict between the two planes. The report claims that there was a four-second pause at that point, but the transcript shows no such pause (FAA Tower Tapes, Asheville, NC 7/19/67).
- The original NTSB report does not mention that there was a fire in a cockpit ashtray in the 727, which (as shown by the cockpit voice recorderCockpit voice recorderA 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...
transcript) occupied the attention of the 727 crew for the 35 seconds before the collision (N68650 CVR tapes, 7/19/67).
- The lead NTSB investigator had an apparent conflict of interest, since his brother was a vice president and director of Piedmont Airlines (Court testimony, 1968).
Houle also mentioned that, at the time, the newly-formed NTSB was not fully independent of 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), since both reported to the Department of Transportation. Houle claimed that these conflicts of interest led the NTSB to avoid citing either Piedmont or FAA controllers as primary causes of the accident.
In early 2007, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) decided to confirm their biased findings, upholding the probable cause it found in 1968 for the midair collision. In a February 2007 letter, the NTSB notified Paul Houle it had voted 3-1 that his arguments (despite being vitally relevant facts) were unsubstantiated (Letter from Mark Rosenker
Mark Rosenker
Mark Rosenker was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate and appointed by President George W. Bush as the 11th Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board from August 2006 through August 2008...
, NTSB Chairman, February, 2007).
Notable passengers
John T. McNaughtonJohn McNaughton (government official)
John Theodore McNaughton born in Pekin, Illinois was United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and Robert S. McNamara's closest advisor...
, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs and Robert McNamara's
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
closest advisor, was a passenger on Flight 22, along with his wife and son.