- Date
- January 27, 2009, 04:37 local (10:37 UTC)
- Place
- Lubbock, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N902FXAerospatiale Alenia ATR 42-320
- Defining event
- Approach-IFR initial approach: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 26, 2011
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting
- Investigation class
- Class 1
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Pratt and Whitney, Aerospatiale Alenia (ATR), Empire Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, Bureau d'Enquetes, Federal Express
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 20090127001639A
- Case key
- 73279
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The flight crew's failure to monitor and maintain a minimum safe airspeed while executing an instrument approach in icing conditions, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at low altitude. Contributing to the accident were 1) the flight crew's failure to follow published standard operating procedures in response to a flap anomaly, 2) the captain's decision to continue with the unstabilized approach, 3) the flight crew's poor crew resource management, and 4) fatigue due to the time of day in which the accident occurred and a cumulative sleep debt, which likely impaired the captain's performance.
Findings · 10
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The Safety Board’s full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-11/02. On January 27, 2009, about 0437 central standard time, an Avions de Transport Régional Aerospatiale Alenia ATR 42 320, N902FX, operating as Empire Airlines flight 8284, was on an instrument approach when it crashed short of the runway at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, Lubbock, Texas. The captain sustained serious injuries, and the first officer sustained minor injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to Federal Express Corporation and operated by Empire Airlines, Inc., as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 supplemental cargo flight. The flight departed from Fort Worth Alliance Airport, Fort Worth, Texas, about 0313. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed.
Factual narrative
The Safety Board’s full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-11/02. On January 27, 2009, about 0437 central standard time, an Avions de Transport Régional Aerospatiale Alenia ATR 42 320, N902FX, operating as Empire Airlines flight 8284, was on an instrument approach when it crashed short of the runway at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, Lubbock, Texas. The captain sustained serious injuries, and the first officer sustained minor injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to Federal Express Corporation and operated by Empire Airlines, Inc., as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 supplemental cargo flight. The flight departed from Fort Worth Alliance Airport, Fort Worth, Texas, about 0313. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N902FX
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale Alenia ATR 42-320
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 325
- Airframe hours
- 29,767.9
- Engines
- Pratt and Whitney Canada PW 121, 1,950 horsepower, turbo propPratt and Whitney Canada PW 121, 1,950 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Empire Airlines
- Registered owner
- Federal Express Corp/Attn Vp Supplemental Air Ops
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 9, 2009
- Departed
- AFW · Fort Worth, TX
- Destination
- LBB · Lubbock, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- LBB · Lubbock Preston Smith, runway 17R, 11,500 × 150 ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 5, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 13,200 total
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 350° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- LBB
Docket · 140
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 22, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 153 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.