Colgan Air Flight 3407

Colgan Air Flight 3407 Occurrence summary Date February 12, 2009 (2009-02-12) Type Under investigation Site Clarence Center, New York, United States Passengers 45 Crew 4 Injuries 4 (all on the ground) Fatalities 50 (1 on ground) Survivors 0 Aircraft type Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 Operator Colgan Air, as Continental Connection Tail number N200WQ Flight origin Newark Liberty International Airport Destination Buffalo Niagara International Airport Colgan Air Flight 3407, marketed as Continental Connection under a codeshare agreement with Continental Airlines, was a daily U.S. regional airline commuter flight between Newark Liberty International Airport (ICAO:KEWR) in New Jersey and Buffalo Niagara International Airport (ICAO:KBUF) in New York.

A Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 as Flight 3407 departed from Newark on February 12, 2009, at 9:20 p.m. EST. Shortly after the last communication by the flight crew at 10:11 p.m. (03:11, February 13 UTC), the plane crashed into a house in the northeast Buffalo suburb of Clarence Center, 6 miles (9.7 km) short of BUF's Runway 23, killing everyone on board. A total of 50 people were killed, including two pilots, two flight attendants, 45 passengers (including one off-duty pilot), and one person in the house. It was the first fatal crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since Comair Flight 191 in August 2006.

Contents [hide] 1 Flight details 2 Crash 2.1 Fatalities 3 Investigation 4 Reactions 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Flight details Wikinews has related news: Fifty killed in commuter plane crash in Clarence Center, New York Dash 8 Q400 similar to the aircraft involvedColgan Air Flight 3407 (9L 3407 or CJC 3407) was marketed as Continental Flight 3407 (CO 3407) under the Continental Connection brand. The flight departed at 9:20 p.m. EST,[1] en route from Newark Liberty International Airport to Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The flight was one of seven Continental flights bound for Buffalo Niagara that day, out of a total of 110 incoming and departing flights across all carriers at Buffalo.[2]

The aircraft was a 74-seat Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 (Registration N200WQ) two-engine turboprop owned and operated by Colgan Air. N200WQ was registered with the Federal Aviation Administration in April 2008[3] and was put into service the same month.[4]

The Q400 model has been involved in 13 incidents, but the crash of Flight 3407 was the first resulting in fatalities.[4] This crash was also the first fatality on a Colgan Air passenger flight since the company was founded in 1991; there was a previous fatal incident (not involving passengers) in August 2003 when a repositioning flight crashed offshore of Massachusetts, killing both crew members. The only prior aviation incident on a Colgan Air passenger flight occurred at LaGuardia Airport, when another plane collided with the Colgan aircraft while taxiing, resulting in minor injuries to a flight attendant.[5]

The crew of four was led by Captain Marvin Renslow, age 47, of Lutz, Florida, who was hired by Colgan in 2005 and had flown 3,379 hours, 261 of them on the Q400.[6][7] He previously flew for Gulfstream International Airlines prior to joining Colgan. In 2007, he became a pilot in command for Colgan.[8] First Officer Rebecca Lynne Shaw, age 24, of Maple Valley, Washington,[9][10][11] was hired by Colgan in January 2008, and had flown 2,200 hours, 772 of them on the Q400.[7] Flight Attendants Matilda Quintero and Donna Prisco both joined Colgan in May 2008. Captain Joseph Zuffoletto, an off-duty crew member aboard Flight 3407, was hired by Colgan in September 2005.[12][13]

[edit] Crash Planform view of a Q400 showing the high aspect ratio (long, narrow) wings FAA ILS/LOC approach plate to Runway 23 at Buffalo Niagara International Airport (KBUF). The flight crashed near the Locator Outer Marker (LOM) (Identifier: "Klump") about five miles from the threshold of Rwy 23.The aircraft had been cleared for the ILS Runway 23 approach to the nearby Buffalo Niagara International Airport when it disappeared from radar. The last radar position (unofficial) was at 10:11 PM Eastern time.[14] Weather conditions were a wintry mix in the area, with light snow, fog, and 17 miles per hour (27 km/h) winds. Two other aircraft reported icing conditions around the time of the crash. The last radio transmission from the flight occurred when the plane was 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of the airport radio beacon known as KLUMP (see diagram), when First Officer Shaw acknowledged a routine instruction to change to tower frequency. After several attempts to hail the crew, controllers requested the assistance of Delta Flight 1998 and US Airways Flight 1452 to make visual contact with the missing airplane; the Delta crew responded that they did not see the plane.[13][15][16][17][18][16][14][19][20]

During the flight and continuing through the plane's landing approach, the crew had been flying on autopilot. The de-icing system was turned on 11 minutes into the flight by the crew, who discussed significant ice buildup on the aircraft's wings and windscreen shortly before the crash. Following this, the pilots extended the aircraft's flaps and landing gear for landing. The plane had been on autopilot and immediately went through severe pitch and roll oscillations, and the aircraft's stall-protection systems activated, which included a stick shaker and stick pusher, which tried to push the nose of the aircraft down in order to gain airspeed and lift. The crew then attempted to raise the gear and reset the flaps. At some point during this chain of events the autopilot disengaged itself, as a condition described as aircraft upset commenced.[21] The plane pitched up at an angle of 31 degrees in its final moments, before pitching down at 45 degrees. It then rolled to the left at 46 degrees and snapped back to the right at 105 degrees. Occupants aboard experienced forces estimated at nearly twice that of gravity. Witnesses on the ground claimed to hear the engines sputter just before the crash.[22]

The plane struggled for about 25 seconds, during which the crew made no emergency declaration. It rapidly lost altitude and then crashed into a private home at 6038 Long Street, about 5 miles (8.0 km) from the end of the runway, and nearly directly under its intended approach path, with the nose pointed away from the destination airport. The ensuing fire destroyed the house and most of the plane, with the tail of the plane broken off and nearly intact. The house was the home of Douglas and Karen Wielinski along with their daughter Jill. Douglas was killed; the other two escaped with minor injuries and were treated at the Millard Fillmore Suburban hospital. The lots in the area are only 60 feet (18 m) wide; however, the plane hit the house squarely, destroying it in the fire with remarkably little damage to surrounding homes.[23] The home is around the corner from the Clarence Center Fire Company, so emergency personnel were able to respond quickly. While fighting the blaze, two firefighters were injured. The crash and intense fire caused the evacuation of 12 nearby houses.[18][24][25][2][20][26][27][28]

[edit] Fatalities President of the United States Barack Obama shaking hands with Beverly Eckert 6 days before the accidentThe total number of reported fatalities was 50, including all four crew members and one off duty crew-member, all 44 passengers, and one resident of the house that was struck. There were also four reported injuries on the ground, including two other people inside the home at the time of the crash. Among the reported dead were:[29][4][30][31][32][33]

Alison Des Forges, a human rights investigator and an expert on the Rwandan genocide Gerry Niewood and Coleman Mellett, jazz musicians who were en route to a concert with Chuck Mangione and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Beverly Eckert, who became co-chair of the 9/11 Family Steering Committee and a leader of Voices of September 11 after her husband Sean Rooney was killed in the September 11 attacks. She was en route to Buffalo to celebrate her late husband's 58th birthday and award a scholarship in his memory at Canisius High School. Eckert herself was a graduate of the Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart where she was to receive an alumnae award this spring.

[edit] Investigation The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that they would send a team to the crash site on February 13 to begin the investigation.[15] NTSB spokesman Steve Chealander said that 14 investigators were assigned to the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407.[34] Both the Flight data recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit voice recorder (CVR) were retrieved and are currently being analyzed in Washington, D.C.[20][35]

After initial FDR and CVR analysis, it was determined that the aircraft went through severe pitch and roll oscillations after positioning its flaps and landing gear for landing. Until that time, the Dash 8 had been maneuvering normally. The de-icing system was reported to be turned on. During descent, the crew reported about 3 miles of visibility with snow and mist. Preceding the crash, the aircraft's stall-protection systems had activated. Instead of the aircraft's diving straight into the house as was initially thought, it was found that the aircraft fell 800 feet before crashing, and was headed northeast, away from the destination airport. The passengers were given no warning of any trouble by the pilots. Occupants aboard the Dash 8 experienced an estimated force two times that of gravity just before impact. Chealander said information from the aircraft's flight data recorder indicates that the plane pitched up at an angle of 31 degrees, then down at 45 degrees. The Dash 8 rolled to the left at 46 degrees, then snapped back to the right at 105 degrees, before crashing into the house.[20][36][18][20][37][26][27]

At the crash scene, an area 2 square miles (5.2 km2) in size was cordoned off, despite the small footprint of the actual damage. Investigators stated it would take three or four days to remove all human remains and a few weeks to positively identify them. As the recovery effort proceeded, Chealander remarked that freezing temperatures as well as difficult to access debris were slowing the investigation. Portable heaters had to be brought to the site to thaw ice left in the wake of the firefighting efforts. Initial analysis of the aircraft's remains revealed the cockpit had sustained the greatest impact force, while the main cabin was mostly destroyed by the ensuing fireball. Towards the rear of the aircraft, passengers were found still strapped in their seats.[36][38][26]

On February 15, more information on the crash was released by the NTSB saying it appeared the plane had been on autopilot when it went down. The investigators did not find evidence of the severe icing conditions that would have required the pilots to fly manually.[39] Colgan Air recommends pilots fly manually in icy conditions, and requires they do so in severe icing conditions. The NTSB had issued a safety alert about the use of autopilot in icy conditions in December 2008. Without flying manually, pilots may be unable to feel changes in the handling characteristics of the airplane, which is a warning sign of ice buildup. The NTSB also revealed that the plane crashed a mere 26 seconds after trouble was first registered on the flight data recorder.[40][41][42][43]

More details emerged on February 18. It was reported that a re-creation of events leading up to the crash indicated that an anti-stall device known as a stick pusher had activated, which pushes the nose down when it determines a stall is imminent in order to maintain airspeed so the wings continue to generate lift and keep the aircraft aloft. The crew, concerned about a nose-down attitude so close to the ground, may have responded by pulling the nose upward and increasing power, but over-corrected causing a stall or even a spin.[44] Bill Voss, president of Flight Safety Foundation told USA Today that it sounded like the plane was in a "a deep stall situation".[45]

On March 25th of 2009, NTSB investigators said that icing probably did not contribute greatly to the accident. [46]

[edit] Reactions Colgan Air set up a telephone number for families and friends of those affected to call on February 13, and a family assistance center was opened at the Cheektowaga Senior Center in Cheektowaga, New York.[47] The American Red Cross also opened reception centers in Buffalo and Newark where family members could receive support from mental health and spiritual care workers.[48]

U.S. President Barack Obama extended condolences the next morning before the Business Council meeting, thanking the first responders and specifically mentioning Beverly Eckert, and commenting upon 'the fragility of life'.[29] New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine followed suit, and New York Governor David Paterson plans to visit the site of the crash. During the afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives held a moment of silence for the victims and their families.[49]

Buffalo's professional ice hockey team, the Buffalo Sabres, held a moment of silence prior to their scheduled game the next night against the San Jose Sharks.[50] The University at Buffalo, which lost 11 passengers who were former employees, faculty or alumni, and 12 who were family members of faculty, employees, students or alumni in the crash, also held a remembrance service on February 17, 2009[51][52] and their basketball team work a black band on its uniforms with the flight number for the remainder of its season.

Buffalo State College President Muriel Howard released a statement regarding the six alumni lost on Flight 3407. Beverly Eckert was a 1975 graduate from Buffalo State.[53]

On March 4, 2009, New York Governor David Paterson proposed the creation of a scholarship fund to benefit children and financial dependents of the 50 crash victims. The Flight 3407 Memorial Scholarship would cover costs for up to four years of undergraduate study at a SUNY or CUNY school, or a private college or university in New York State.[54]

[edit] See also American Eagle Flight 4184 – accident in 1994 involving ice buildup Icing conditions in aviation American Eagle Flight 3008 – incident in 2006 and others back to 1998 involving ice buildup Aircraft upset