# Accident 19980927036759A: Dhav DHC8102, Islip, NY, September 27, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: September 27, 1998, 21:04 local time - Place: Islip, NY - Airport: Long Island Mac Arthur - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Initial Approach-IFR - Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121) - Operator: PCAA - Location: 40.7296° N, 73.2099° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.7296&lon=-73.2099&mi=10 - Aircraft: N810EX, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N810EX-2022-02-14) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Boeing Of Canada/Dehav Div DHC-8-102 (registry code 1385303, https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-of-canada-dehav-div-dhc-8-102) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120 (registry code 52114, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pw120) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: DHAV DHC8102 - Reported engine: PWA PW120A - People aboard: 24 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 7,000 total, 2,000 in this make and model, 202 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC98LA193](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98LA193) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980927036759A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON SEPTEMBER 27, 1998, AT 2104 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, AN ALLEGHENY AIRLINES BOEING DHC-8-102, N810EX, OPERATING AS USAIRWAYS EXPRESS FLIGHT 3977, RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE DURING AN APPROACH TO LONG ISLAND MACARTHUR AIRPORT (ISP), ISLIP, NEW YORK. THE 2 PILOTS AND 22 PASSENGERS WERE UNINJURED. ONE OTHER PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES, AND THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED DURING THE NIGHTTIME EVENT. THE SCHEDULED PASSENGER FLIGHT WAS OPERATING ON AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT PLAN AND ORIGINATED FROM PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KPHL), PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. THE FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 121. ACCORDING TO THE PILOTS, THE FLIGHT WAS BEING VECTORED FOR THE ILS RUNWAY 24 APPROACH. THE AIRPLANE WAS ON A DOWNWIND LEG, AT 3,000 FEET, WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS. AFTER THE EVENT, SEVERAL UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO CONTACT THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT. THE AIRPLANE LANDED, AND JUST PRIOR TO PARKING, A NON-COMPANY FLIGHT ATTENDANT, RIDING AS A PASSENGER, INFORMED THE PILOTS THAT THE ON-DUTY FLIGHT ATTENDANT WAS INJURED. THE INJURED FLIGHT ATTENDANT LATER TOLD A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) INSPECTOR THAT SHE HAD JUST COMPLETED HER PRE-LANDING WALK-THROUGH, WHEN SHE "FELT A JOLT SEND HER UP INTO THE EXIT SIGN. A SECOND JOLT SENT HER INTO THE GALLEY AREA, FOLLOWED BY A THIRD JOLT THAT SENT HER TO THE FLOOR OF THE AIRCRAFT." THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT ALSO STATED THAT DURING THE CREW BRIEF BEFORE THE FLIGHT, SHE WAS TOLD THAT THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS POSSIBLE IN THE NEW YORK AREA. HOWEVER, THE FLIGHT HAD BEEN SMOOTH PRIOR TO THE TURBULENCE EVENT. THE INJURED PASSENGER STATED TO THE INSPECTOR THAT THE FLIGHT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL 5 MINUTES BEFORE LANDING, WHEN "SUDDENLY, THE AIRCRAFT MADE A VIOLENT UP AND DOWN MOTION, FOLLOWED BY THREE OTHER SIMILAR MOTIONS." THE FAA INSPECTOR STATED THAT, ACCORDING TO AIRPORT TOWER CONTROLLERS, THERE WERE NO OTHER AIRCRAFT IN THE AREA WHEN THE TURBULENCE OCCURRED. WEATHER AT MACARTHUR AIRPORT, ABOUT 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE EVENT, INCLUDED WINDS FROM 280 DEGREES MAGNETIC, AT 4 KNOTS, WITH A VISIBILITY OF 4 STATUTE MILES IN HAZE. THERE WAS A BROKEN CLOUD LAYER AT 10,000 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. THE CAPTAIN STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE'S WEATHER RADAR HAD BEEN SET TO A 20-MILE SCALE, AND SHOWED SOME THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF THE AIRPORT. (-23) AIRCRAFT 8NE OF ISP ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE IN STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLIGHT AT 3,000 FT. MSL. TWO INJURIES WERE INCURRED. FLIGHT ATTENDANT ADMITTED TO SOUTH SHORE HOSPITAL, BABYON, NY. PAX INJURED, TREATED AND RELEASED AT BROOKHAVEN HOSPITAL , BROOKHAVEN, NY. CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WAS REPORTED AT T/P/O. ISP ATIS 10,000 FT. BROKEN WIND 2804KT. 4 MILES VISIBILITY IN HAZE. AIRCRAFT WAS ON VECTORS FOR APPROACH TO LANDING ISP. WHEN 4 SEVERE JOLTS WERE ENCOUNTERED. AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. (.4) THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING VECTORED FOR A NIGHT INSTRUMENT APPROACH IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE. THERE WERE NO OTHER AIRCRAFT IN THE AREA WHEN THE TURBULENCE OCCURRED. THE WEATHER RADAR SHOWED SOME THUNDERSTORMS TO THE NORTH OF THE FLIGHT, BUT THE RIDE HAD BEEN SMOOTH PRIOR TO THE TURBULENCE EVENT. THE AIRPLANE'S FLIGHT DATA RECORDER REVEALED A GRADUAL INCREASE IN VERTICAL ACCELERATIONS DURING A 15 SECOND PERIOD. DURING THE NEXT 15 SECONDS, THERE WERE A SERIES OF JOLTS, WITH FOUR VERTICAL ACCELERATIONS MEASURING APPROXIMATELY 2.0 POSITIVE G'S, WHI LE THREE REGISTERED 0.5 NEGATIVE G'S. VERTICAL ACCELERATIONS CONTINUED OVER THE NEXT 75 SECONDS, WITH EIGHT EXCEEDING 1.5 POSITIVE G'S, AND TWO REGISTERING ABOUT 0.0 G. LATERAL AND LONGITUDINAL ACCELERATIONS WERE ALSO NOTED, AND CORRESPONDED IN TIME WITH THE VERTICAL ACCELERATIONS. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB NYC98LA193](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98LA193), Sep 28, 1998: Boeing DHC-8-102 (N810EX), Islip, NY, minor damage. Probable cause: Clear air turbulence. ## Other reports on N810EX (3) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20020321004349I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020321004349I), Mar 21, 2002: Dhav DHC8102 (N810EX), Pittsburgh, PA. (-23) On March 21, 2992, N810EX, flight #4485 a shuttle america DHC-8-102 shurt down the number one engine due to the fact that the oil pressure dropped below… - [Incident 20010906028239I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010906028239I), Sep 6, 2001: Dhav DHC8102 (N810EX), Philadelphia, PA. (-23) Allegheny asst chief pilot states: the flight crew was being pushed back from "f" terminal gate. The #2 engine was started at the gate and the pushback… - [Incident 19990621014469I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990621014469I), Jun 21, 1999: Dhav DHC8102 (N810EX), Binghamton, NY. On July 21, 1999, a Dehavilland DHC-8-102, s/n 308, N810EX, operated by allegheny airlines inc., accomplished a precautionary landing after take-off due to the… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.