Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286

Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286
	A Fairchild Metro III, similar to the misfortune machine
Accident summary
Accident type	controlled flight into terrain
place	Bayfield (Colorado) , United States
date	January 19, 1988
Fatalities	9
Survivors	8th
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Fairchild Swearingen Metro
operator	Trans-Colorado Airlines on behalf of Continental Express
Mark	N68TC
Departure airport	Denver Airport , United States
Destination airport	Durango (Colorado) airport , United States
Passengers	15th
crew	2
	Lists of aviation accidents

On January 19, 1988, a Fairchild Swearingen Metro crashed on Trans-Colorado Airlines flight 2286 , which was operated under the flight number Continental Express flight 2286 , while approaching the airport in Durango (Colorado) . 9 out of 17 people on board were killed in the accident, including the two pilots. Forensic investigations revealed that the master had been under the influence of cocaine at the time of the accident . It was the first incident in which the NTSB identified drug abuse as a factor in an aircraft accident.

plane

The aircraft involved in the accident was a Fairchild Swearingen Metro III turboprop aircraft from 1981. Trans Colorado Airlines acquired the aircraft in 1986. The aircraft with registration number N68TC had completed 12,000 flight hours at the time of the accident. The Metroliner had neither a flight data recorder nor a voice recorder ; these were not required by the FAA at the time of the accident . After the accident, the FAA mandated the installation of flight data recorders in all aircraft that operate scheduled flights.

Flight history

The plane took off from Denver-Stapleton at 6:20 p.m. local time . For the flight to Durango, 15 passengers were seated in the plane.

At 6:53 p.m. the flight reached its cruising altitude of 23,000 feet (approx. 7,000 m). Air traffic control informed Flight 2286 that visibility was poor in Durango, with a cloud cover at 800 feet (approx. 240 m), light snow and fog. At 19:00, air traffic control gave the crew the choice of either performing an instrument landing system approach (ILS) on runway 2 or a non-precision approach procedure on runway 20. For the ILS approach, the aircraft would have to bypass the airport and land against its flight direction. Captain Stephen Silver, who was known for making up time on delayed flights, decided to land on runway 20 in the direction of flight to save time. This type of landing was more complicated as the mountainous area in front of the runway required several phases of descent. Captain Silver had First Officer Ralph Harvey conduct the approach to Durango.

accident

At 19:03 the pilots of Flight 2286 received clearance to initiate the descent from an altitude of 23,000 feet (approx. 7,000 meters). The first officer lowered the machine at 3000 feet (approx. 900 meters) per minute, which was three times the intended rate of descent . When the pilots of flight 2286 received clearance for the approach to runway 20 at 1914, the crew reported an altitude of 14,000 feet (approx. 4,300 meters). The machine continued its steep descent until it hit the ground in a snowy hilly landscape about 5 miles from the airport, was thrown into the air and then hit the ground again and slid across the terrain.

Both pilots and seven passengers were killed in the accident. Eight passengers survived the crash. One of them walked a mile through the snow to the nearest road for help.

Accident investigation

After the accident, the NTSB took over the investigation. The investigators first learned that first officer Ralph Harvey had previously been noticed by driving under the influence of alcohol . A physical exam the day before showed no evidence that Harvey was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The result of a forensic examination of his body was also negative. The investigators found that the first officer was overwhelmed by the demanding approach procedure.

The investigators then investigated the question of why Captain Silver, as a highly experienced pilot, had not noticed the abnormally steep descent of the machine, let alone intervened. In the course of the investigation, another pilot contacted investigators and reported that he had met a woman who claimed to be Captain Silver's fiancée. The woman claimed to have consumed copious amounts of cocaine with Silver the night before the accident . The investigators tried in vain to contact the woman for an interview. When blood and urine samples were examined from the captain's body, traces of cocaine and its metabolites were found. The investigators concluded from the investigations that Captain Silver consumed cocaine 12 to 18 hours before the flight, then did not sleep and that his ability to fly was significantly reduced as a result. The final report was published on February 4, 1989.