USAir Flight 427
Encyclopedia
O'Hare International Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport , also known as O'Hare Airport, O'Hare Field, Chicago Airport, Chicago International Airport, or simply O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, northwest of the Chicago Loop...
to Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh International Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and commonly referred to as Pittsburgh International, is a joint civil–military international airport located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Findlay Township, approximately west of...
, with a final destination of West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
. The flight crashed on Thursday, September 8, 1994, killing everyone on board.
The Boeing 737-3B7 flying the route, registered N513AU, was approaching runway 28R of Pittsburgh International Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and commonly referred to as Pittsburgh International, is a joint civil–military international airport located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Findlay Township, approximately west of...
, located in Findlay Township, Pennsylvania
Findlay Township, Pennsylvania
Findlay Township is a township located west of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,060 at the 2010 census.The township is the home of Pittsburgh International Airport.-Geography:...
. The airport was, at the time, the largest hub for the airline.
Crash
45-year-old Captain Peter Germano and 38-year-old First Officer Charles B. "Chuck" Emmett III piloted the aircraft. At about 6000 feet (1,828.8 m) and 6 miles (9.7 km) from the runway, the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of control and slammed into the ground in a nearly vertical nose down position in Hopewell Township, Beaver CountyHopewell Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania
Hopewell Township is a township in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 13,254 at the 2000 census....
, near Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Aliquippa is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 9,438 at the 2010 census. Formerly a borough, it was formally named a city in 1987 by the Aliquippa Council.-History:...
, killing all 127 passengers and 5 crew members.
Flight 427 has the third highest death toll of any aviation accident involving a Boeing 737-300 after the crash of Flash Airlines Flight 604
Flash Airlines flight 604
Flash Airlines Flight 604 was a charter flight operated by Egyptian charter company Flash Airlines. On 3 January 2004, the Boeing 737-300 crashed into the Red Sea shortly after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport, killing all 142 passengers, many of them French tourists, and all six...
and China Southern Airlines Flight 3943
China Southern Airlines Flight 3943
China Southern Airlines Flight 3943 was a flight from Guangzhou to Guilin, People's Republic of China. It crashed on descent to Guilin Airport, killing all 141 aboard. It was the worst accident involving a Boeing 737-300 at the time.-References:*...
.
Investigation
After the longest investigation in aviation history—more than four and a half years—the concluding statement said:- The National Transportation Safety BoardNational Transportation Safety BoardThe 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...
determines that the probable cause of the USAir flight 427 accident was a loss of control of the airplane resulting from the movement of the rudder surface to its blowdown limit. The rudder surface most likely deflected in a direction opposite to that commanded by the pilots as a result of a jam of the main rudder power control unit servo valve secondary slide to the servo valve housing offset from its neutral position and overtravel of the primary slide.
The NTSB concluded that similar rudder problems caused the previously mysterious March 3, 1991 crash of United Airlines Flight 585
United Airlines Flight 585
United Airlines Flight 585 was a scheduled domestic passenger airline flight from the now-decommissioned Stapleton International Airport in Denver to Colorado Springs Municipal Airport in Colorado Springs, Colorado....
, and the June 9, 1996 incident involving Eastwind Airlines Flight 517
Eastwind Airlines Flight 517
Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 was a scheduled flight from Trenton-Mercer Airport in Trenton, New Jersey to Richmond International Airport in Richmond, Virginia. The crew lost rudder control but successfully landed on June 9, 1996. No casualties occurred and one flight attendant suffered only minor...
, both of which were Boeing 737s. As a result of the investigation, pilots were warned of and trained how to deal with insufficient aileron authority at an airspeed at or less than 190 knots (218 mph, 354 km/h), formerly the usual approach speed for a B737. Four additional channels of information—pilot rudder pedal commands—were incorporated into 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...
s, while Boeing redesigned the rudder system on 737s and retrofitted existing craft until the affected systems could be replaced. The United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
also required airlines to deal more sensitively with the families of crash victims.
US Airways 427 is no longer a valid flight number on US Airways as of January 2011.
Flight 427 was the second fatal crash in a little over two months at the company (the other being USAir Flight 1016
USAir Flight 1016
USAir Flight 1016 was a regularly scheduled flight between Columbia, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina. On Saturday, July 2, 1994, the plane, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 registered N954VJ, departed Columbia Metropolitan Airport at 18:15 EST...
at Charlotte-Douglas Airport in July 1994). The crashes contributed to the financial crisis USAir was experiencing at the time.
The crash killed noted neuroethologist Walter Heiligenberg
Walter Heiligenberg
Walter Heiligenberg is best known for his contribution to neuroethology through his work on one of the best neurologically understood behavioral patterns in vertebrate, Eigenmannia...
(born 1938).
Dramatization
The accident was depicted on the Discovery Channel CanadaDiscovery Channel Canada
Discovery Channel is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel devoted to nature, adventure, science and technology programming. Discovery Channel is currently owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc...
/National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
television series Mayday
Mayday (TV series)
Mayday, also known as Air Crash Investigation in the United Kingdom, Australia and Asia and Air Emergency and Air Disasters in the United States, is a Canadian documentary television programme produced by Cineflix investigating air crashes, near-crashes and other disasters...
(also known as Air Emergency or Air Crash Investigation in various countries) series 4 episode entitled "Hidden Danger" ("Mystery Crashes"), alongside United Airlines Flight 585 and Eastwind Airlines Flight 517.
See also
- Boeing 737 rudder issuesBoeing 737 rudder issuesStarting in 1991, a number of accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 737 were the result of the airplanes' unexpected movement of their rudders. The rudder is controlled by the Power Control Unit . Inside the PCU is a dual servo valve which helps direct hydraulic fluid in order to move the...
- United Airlines Flight 585United Airlines Flight 585United Airlines Flight 585 was a scheduled domestic passenger airline flight from the now-decommissioned Stapleton International Airport in Denver to Colorado Springs Municipal Airport in Colorado Springs, Colorado....
- Eastwind Airlines Flight 517Eastwind Airlines Flight 517Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 was a scheduled flight from Trenton-Mercer Airport in Trenton, New Jersey to Richmond International Airport in Richmond, Virginia. The crew lost rudder control but successfully landed on June 9, 1996. No casualties occurred and one flight attendant suffered only minor...
External links
- NTSB Accident Investigation Docket
- AVweb article
- AVweb supplement
- 28 Seconds Four-part article from the Saint Petersburg Times
- Boeing 737 Rudder Design Defect
- Remembering Flight 427, Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewPittsburgh Tribune-ReviewThe Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
- Pre-Crash accident photos from Airliners.net
- Mourners remember at 15th anniversary
- Memorial location
Books
- Bill Adair, The Mystery of Flight 427: Inside a Crash Investigation, ISBN 1-58834-005-8
- Gerry Byrne, Flight 427: Anatomy of an Air Disaster, ISBN 0-387-95256-X