American Airlines Flight 1420
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | June 1, 1999 |
| Type | Runway overrun, pilot error |
| Site | Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Passengers | 139 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Injuries | 110 |
| Fatalities | 11 |
| Survivors | 134 |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas MD-82 |
| Operator | American Airlines |
| Tail number | N215AA |
| Flight origin | Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport |
| Destination | Little Rock National Airport |
American 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 (registration number N215AA) overran the runway upon landing in Little Rock and crashed.
According to the NTSB's report, the crew of Flight 1420 learned that the winds were changing direction and that a wind shear alert had sounded on the airport due to a thunderstorm nearby. The crew was originally told to expect Runway 22L for landing but requested a change to Runway 4R.
As the aircraft approached Runway 4R, a severe thunderstorm arrived over the airport. The controller's last report to the crew prior to landing stated that the winds were 330 degrees at 28 knots. During the rushed approach, the pilots had failed to arm the spoilers, devices atop the wings that reduce lift by "spoiling" airflow. After landing, the first officer stated, "We're down. We're sliding." The aircraft never fully settled onto its landing gear and therefore braking was ineffective. Despite the application of brakes and reverse thrust, the aircraft skidded off the far end of the runway at high speed and crashed into an approach lighting tier, ending up on the banks of the Arkansas River. Such structures are usually frangible - i.e. designed to shear off on impact - but because the approach lights were located on the unstable river bank, they were firmly anchored and the impact destroyed the aircraft. It broke into three pieces and ignited.
The captain, one of six crew members, died in the crash, along with 10 of the 139 passengers. [1] The captain died when a steel walkway hit the cockpit. Some of his final words were "it's a can of worms", describing his situation when attempting to land the plane. [2]
Of the surviving flight crew [1], the other member received serious injuries [2].
Of the cabin crew [3]:
- 3 received serious injuries
- 1 received minor injuries
Of the surviving passengers [4]:
- 41 received serious injuries
- 64 received minor injuries
- 24 were uninjured
The story of the disaster was featured on an episode of the National Geographic Channel show Mayday (Air Emergency, Air Crash Investigation).
[edit] See also
- List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
- Runway safety area
- Engineered materials arrestor system
- Ground effect in aircraft
[edit] References
- ^ National Transportation Safety Board (2001). "Aircraft Accident Report: Runway Overrun During Landing; American Airlines Flight 1420; McDonnell Douglas MD-82, N215AA; Little Rock, Arkansas; June 1, 1999". Retrieved December 23, 2005.
- ^ "Racing the Storm," Mayday
[edit] External links
- Weather satellite imagery
- Essay by Survivor Sharon Angleman
- Seating chart detailing areas of crash damage on the plane
- Graphic showing what happened during the last seconds of the crash
- Transcript of cockpit voice recorder
- Story on the crash from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- Graphics showing weather radar from around the time of the crash
- Photo of the Crashed Aircraft
- Passenger manifest of AA1420
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