# Accident 20010225003429A: Emb EMB120ER, Monterey, CA, February 25, 2001

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 25, 2001, 21:55 local time
- Place: Monterey, CA
- Airport: Monterey Peninsula
- Damage: No damage
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: SWIA
- Location: 36.4167° N, 121.8333° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.4167&lon=-121.8333&mi=10
- Aircraft: N288SW (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: EMB EMB120ER
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX01LA105](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01LA105) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010225003429A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-19) ON FEBRUARY 25, 2001, AT 2155 HOURS PST, SKYWEST AIRLINES FLIGHT 7915, AN EMBRAER 120 BRASILIA, N288SW, EXPEREINCED AN ABRUPT PITCH CHANGE DURING DESCENT INTO MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA. THE LONE CABIN ATTENDANT IN THE AFT END OF THE AIRPLANE WAS THROWN TO THE FLOOR AND SUSTAINED A BROKEN ANKLE. SKYWEST AIRLINES, INC. WAS OPERATING THE AIRPLANE AS A SCHEDULED DOMESTIC PASSENGER FLIGHT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 121. THE CERTIFICATED AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT CAPTAIN, FIRST OFFICER, AND 30 PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ABOUT 2100 AS A NON-STOP TO MONTEREY. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. ACCORDING TO THE CAPTAINS'S IRREGULARITY REPORT, THE AUTOPILOT WAS ENGAGED, AND AS THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED THROUGH 10,000 FEET MSL, THE NOSE PITCHED DOWN 10 DEGREES, THEN PITCHED BACK UP. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTWAS STANDING IN THE REAR OF THE CABIN AREA AND WAS THROWN TO THE FLOOR BY THE MANUEVER. THE CAPTAIN'S ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL;HOWEVER, A PASSENGER, WHO WAS A NURSE, NOTIFIED THE CAPTAIN THAT THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT WAS INJURED.                           (-23) ON DESCENT THROUGH 10,000 FEET WITH THE AUTOPILOT ENGAGED, THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED DOWN TO APPROXIMATELY 10 DEGREES VIOLENTLY, THEN PITCHED BACK UP. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT, LEAH E. VILLAGRAN, WAS LIFTED OFF HER FEET, THEN CAME DOWN BREAKING HER ANKLE.

## 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 LAX01LA105](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01LA105), Feb 26, 2001: Embraer EMB-120 (N288SW), Monterey, CA, no damage. Probable cause: moisture contamination of the elevator trim actuators, which allowed the units to freeze at altitude resulting in an abrupt pitch change when the units thawed at lower altitudes.

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.

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