Texas International Airlines Flight 655
Accident | |
---|---|
Date | September 27, 1973 |
Summary | Controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error in inclement weather |
Site | Black Fork Mountain, Arkansas, United States 34°42′05″N 94°20′00″W / 34.70139°N 94.33333°W |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | Convair 600 |
Operator | Texas International Airlines |
Registration | N94230 |
Flight origin | Memphis International Airport |
1st stopover | Grider Field |
2nd stopover | Goodwin Field |
Last stopover | Texarkana Municipal Airport |
Destination | Dallas Love Field |
Passengers | 8 |
Crew | 3 |
Fatalities | 11 |
Injuries | 0 |
Survivors | 0 |
Texas International Airlines Flight 655, registration N94230, was a
Events
The route from El Dorado to Texarkana was part of a longer sequence starting in
The
The National Transportation Safety Board investigation concluded that the crew did not discuss the details of their intended route with Flight Service or activate the instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan forwarded from the airline dispatch to Flight Service. If they had been operating under instrument flight rules they would have been tracked by radar or required to make position reports to air traffic control en route. Under VFR they would only need to maintain contact with a controller while in controlled airspace. In this area of rural Arkansas there was no controlled airspace below 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Further, according to Federal Aviation Regulations the airline dispatcher should have been notified the flight was proceeding under VFR. The captain also could have contacted controllers in Fort Worth to open their flight plan or receive radar vectoring in the area.[1]
From the conversation of the crew on the recorder the board concluded the flight encountered inclement weather conditions during the flight and was likely in inclement weather conditions when it crashed. The board concluded that the cause of the accident was the captain's decision to continue flying into inclement weather at night, his not taking advantage of the nearby navigational aids to get a fix on their position, and his decision to descend despite the first officer's concerns about position and terrain.[1]
In the coming years, FAA regulations pertaining to commercial flights would require that all airliners operate only on instrument flight plans when passengers are carried. This rule has undoubtedly contributed much to the safety of airline travel, as flights under those rules specify altitudes and routes that must be followed and that have been predetermined to provide terrain clearance.
References
- ^ a b c d "Texas International Airlines, Inc., CV-600, N94230, Mena, Arkansas, September 27, 1973" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 1974-04-07. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
- Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
External links
- NTSB report - Copy at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University