Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529

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Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529
Embraer EMB 120 (Skywest) N217SW.jpg
Accident summary
Accident type Mechanical failure
place at Carrollton , Carroll County , Georgia .
date August 21, 1995
Fatalities 8 according to the count of the NTSB
Survivors 21st
Injured 21st
Aircraft
Aircraft type Embraer EMB 120
operator Atlantic Southeast Airlines
Mark N256AS
Departure airport Atlanta Airport (USA)
Destination airport Gulfport-Biloxi Airport (USA)
Passengers 26th
crew 3
Lists of aviation accidents

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 was a scheduled flight of Atlantic Southeast Airlines from Atlanta in Georgia to airport Gulfport-Biloxi in Mississippi , where an Embraer EMB 120 on 21 August 1995 at 12:52 ( PST ) near the village Carrollton had an accident. The probable cause is mechanical failure of a propeller blade.

accident

plane

The Embraer EMB 120 aircraft was delivered to Atlantic Southeast Airlines on March 3, 1989 and had completed 18,171 take-offs and landings ( cycles ) prior to the accident .

There were 26 passengers on board, aged between 18 and 69 years.

the accident

Flight 529 left the ramp at Atlanta Airport at 12:10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and took off at 12:23 p.m. At 12:43:25 p.m., during the climb to 18,100  ft (approx. 5,520  m ), the passengers heard a thud that, according to the description of co-pilot Matt Warmerdam, sounded like the blow of a baseball bat against an aluminum garbage can. One of the propeller blades on the left engine had broken off. The resulting imbalance caused the entire left engine nacelle to warp and deform the wing profile . Although the EMB 120 was designed for operation with only one engine, the deformed left wing created a significantly higher air resistance , at the same time the aerodynamic lift was reduced , which resulted in a rapid loss of altitude.

Captain Ed Gannaway and his co-pilot Matt Warmerdam initially attempted to return to Atlanta for an emergency landing. However, the rapid loss of altitude forced them to change course in the direction of the West Georgia Regional airfield . After it became apparent that this airfield could not be reached either, the pilots looked for an open area to attempt a belly landing . At 12:52:45 p.m., the plane hit some treetops and crashed into a field near the town of Carrollton in Carroll County . The final words on the voice recorder were from co-pilot Matt Warmerdam and read, "Amy, I love you."

Victim

All passengers on board Flight 529 survived the actual impact. The victims died from a fire caused by the impact that broke out about a minute after the crash. One of the fatalities was flight captain Gannaway, who had lost consciousness in the impact and could not escape from the flames. A short time later, the oxygen cylinder behind the copilot's seat emptied, which contributed significantly to the intensity of the fire.

None of the occupants survived the crash without injuries. Several victims suffered severe burns, seven died within 30 days of the crash, bringing the total official death toll to eight. A ninth person died of the burns four months after the accident. However, it is not mentioned in the accident report due to the official counting method, according to which a victim must die within 30 days of the crash. Some survivors later felt guilty. They believed they should have helped other passengers. One survivor died of a heart attack eight weeks after the crash. It was mentioned at a memorial service for those killed in the crash, which took place a few years later in the gym of an elementary school.

Determination of causes

The NTSB investigating authority determined the likely cause of the accident to be the breakage of a propeller blade due to material fatigue caused by chlorine corrosion . There had previously been two comparable fatigue failures with the same propeller type. In these cases, however, the aircraft concerned were able to land safely. As a result, manufacturer Hamilton Standard carried out a recall and all propellers were checked, but the check and necessary repairs were incomplete.

The NTSB criticized Hamilton Standard, who was responsible for the maintenance of the propellers, for their inadequate and ineffective inspection and repair techniques, training, documentation and communication ("inadequate and ineffective corporate inspection and repair techniques, training, documentation and communication") . Furthermore, the NTSB Hamilton and the Federal Aviation Administration criticized Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for any regular ultrasound exams to have demanded the propeller concerned ( "failure to require recurrent on-wing ultrasonic inspections for the affected propellers"). The overcast sky and the low cloud base above the crash site also contributed to the severity of the consequences of the accident.

Many passengers attribute their survival to flight attendant Robin Fech. The NTSB's accident investigation report praised the exemplary manner in which the flight attendant instructed the passengers and how she dealt with the emergency (“the exemplary manner in which the flight attendant briefed the passengers and handled the emergency”).

The following time

Matt Warmerdam resumed flying for Atlantic Southeast Airlines in 2002 after undergoing about 50 reconstructive surgeries and lengthy therapies. In 2005, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons honored Wamerdam's positive attitude towards long and difficult recovery with their Patients of Courage: Triumph Over Adversity Award.

The Georgia Senate passed a resolution recognizing Fech's achievement in saving lives. However, Fech gave up her work as a flight attendant after the crash.

The residents of the accident site erected a memorial at the Shiloh Methodist Church near Burwell.

The disaster of Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 was shown in the Canadian television series Mayday - Alarm im Cockpit with the English title Wounded Bird and the German title Crash Inferno . In simulated scenes, animations and interviews with bereaved relatives and investigators, reports were made about the preparations, the process and the background of the flight.

Similar cases

literature

  • Gary M. Pomerantz: Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds: The Tragedy & Triumph of ASA Flight 529 . Crown, 2001, ISBN 0-609-60633-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Aircraft Accident Report. In-Flight Loss of Propeller Blade forced landing, and collison with terrain; Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Inc., Flight 529. (PDF; 690 kB) National Transportation Safety Board , archived from the original on October 22, 2011 ; Retrieved December 20, 2014 .
  2. ↑ a b Aircraft accident data and report in the Aviation Safety Network (English)
  3. ↑ Definition of "cycles". (No longer available online.) Aviation-terms.com, archived from the original on July 7, 2011 ; Retrieved April 14, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / aviation-terms.com
  4. ↑ a b c 9 Minutes 20 Seconds. Archived from the original on August 6, 2007 ; Retrieved April 14, 2010 .
  5. ^ Three dead in Georgia commuter crash. IASA - International Aviation Safety Association, August 21, 1995, accessed April 19, 2010 .
  6. ^ Engine Failure During Flight (12-21). (PDF) Federal Aviation Administration , p. 10 , accessed April 19, 2010 .
  7. ↑ Cockpit Voice Recorder Transcript ASA Flight 529. PlaneCrashInfo.com, accessed on April 19, 2010 (English).
  8. ↑ Notification and reporting of aircraft accindents or incidents and overdue aircraft (CFR 830.2). (No longer available online.) National Archives and Records Administration , archived from the original on June 12, 2011 ; Retrieved April 21, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / ecfr.gpoaccess.gov
  9. ^ "Wings" Newsletter, issue 7, Hertbst 2002. (PDF; 116 kB) Wings of Light, accessed on April 21, 2010 .
  10. ↑ a b Steady Under Fire. People , October 23, 1995, accessed April 22, 2010 .
  11. ^ Patients of Courage. Retrieved April 21, 2010 .
  12. ↑ Robin Fech - honoring. Senate of Georgia, December 1, 1996, accessed February 8, 2015 .

Web links


Coordinates: 33 ° 34 ′ 47 "  N , 85 ° 9 ′ 40.4"  W.