USAir Flight 1016

USAir Flight 1016 was a US domestic flight between Columbia, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina. On July 2, 1994, the DC-9 operating the flight encountered a severe thunderstorm and microbursts, which induced wind shear while attempting to land, causing the plane to crash into trees and a private residence near the airport. The accident and subsequent fire killed 37 people and injured 16 others.

USAir Flight 1016
N954VJ, The aircraft involved in the Accident in 1991
Accident
DateJuly 2, 1994
SummaryMicroburst induced windshear leading to pilot error and spatial disorientation
Sitenear Charlotte/Douglas Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
35°13′3.87″N 80°57′33.57″W / 35.2177417°N 80.9593250°W / 35.2177417; -80.9593250
Aircraft
Aircraft typeMcDonnell Douglas DC-9-31
OperatorUSAir
RegistrationN954VJ
Flight originColumbia Metropolitan Airport
DestinationCharlotte/Douglas Airport
Occupants57
Passengers52
Crew5
Fatalities37
Injuries20
Survivors20
Remains of the aircraft after impact

Investigation

The NTSB immediately dispatched an investigation team, which recovered the CVR and FDR from the plane's wreckage.: 33  After a lengthy investigation, the NTSB concluded that a microburst generated by the thunderstorm over the airport at the time of the crash was the probable cause of the accident. The NTSB listed these contributing factors:

  1. The flight crew's decision to continue an approach to an area where a microburst was likely.
  2. The failure of the flight crew to recognize wind shear quickly (exacerbated by an error in the wind shear alert software; the wind shear alert system should have warned them about 8–9 seconds prior to impact): 12 
  3. The failure of the flight crew to establish proper pitch and engine power that would have brought them out of the wind shear
  4. The lack of timely weather information by air traffic control to the crew of Flight 1016

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Aircraft Accident Report, Flight Into Terrain During Missed Approach, USAir Flight 1016, DC-9-31, N954VJ, Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina, July 2, 1994 (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. April 4, 1995. AAR-95-03. Retrieved December 23, 2017.

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