# NTSB DCA91MA019: British Aerospace 3101, N167PC, Beckley, WV, January 31, 1991

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Major investigation · Final report
- Date: January 30, 1991, 23:55 local (Jan 31, 1991, 04:55 UTC)
- Place: Beckley, WV
- Coordinates: 37.739437, -81.14965 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.7394&lon=-81.1496&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Highest injury: Serious injuries
- Injuries: 13 serious, 3 minor, 3 uninjured
- Status: Completed, report July 10, 1992
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office: Major Investigations Division
- Safety recommendations: Yes
- NTSB case key (mKey): 15946
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DCA91MA019
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/15946/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA91MA019

## Probable cause

FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN ICE ACCUMULATION ON THE AIRCRAFT AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL (TAIL PLANE STALL) AS THE FLAPS WERE FULLY EXTENDED.  FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE:  THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE USE OF THE PREFLIGHT BRIEFING SERVICE, INADEQUATE TRAINING PROVIDED TO THE PILOTS BY COMPANY/MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL, INADEQUATE SURVEILLANCE BY THE FAA, AND ICING CONDITIONS.

## Sequence of events

In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf).

- In flight encounter with weather, descent - normal
  - preflight briefing service - improper use of, pilot in command (contributing factor)
  - inadequate training, company/operator management (contributing factor)
  - inadequate surveillance of operation, faa(organization) (contributing factor)
  - anti-ice/deice system - inoperative
  - operation with known deficiencies in equipment - performed
  - weather condition - icing conditions (contributing factor)
  - flight into known adverse weather - continued, pilot in command (cause)
  - stabilizer - ice (cause)
  - wing - ice (contributing factor)
- Loss of control - in flight, approach - faf/outer marker to threshold (ifr)
  - lowering of flaps - performed
  - aircraft control - not possible
  - remedial action - attempted, pilot in command
- Hard landing, landing
- Complete gear collapsed, landing

## Analysis

ACFT WAS DISPATCHED WITH INOP AIRFRAME DEICE SYS, THO AN OPNL DEICE SYS WAS RQRD FOR FLT IN KNOWN ICG CONDS. DRG DSCNT TO LND, ACFT ENCTRD LGT ICG CONDS. CAPT BELIEVED ACFT COULD 'HANDLE IT' & CONTD DSCNT. AS HE BGN ILS FINAL APCH, HE NOTED SGFNT INCR OF ICE ACCUMULATION & USED HIGHER THAN NML APCH SPD. AS FULL (50 DEG) FLAPS WERE SET, ACFT BGN BUFFET & PITCHED NOSE DWN. CAPT CORRECTED WITH FULL BACK PRES ON CTL COLUMN, BUT ACFT LNDD HARD, GEAR COLLAPSED & ACFT SLID ABT 3600' TO A STOP. NO PREIMPACT MECH ANOMALY WAS FND, EXCEPT FOR INOP DEICE SYS. INV REVEALED PLTS HAD RCVD PRINTOUT OF WX FM CO COMPUTER SYS WITH SFC OBS & TRML FCST, BUT NO AREA FCST (FA). PLTS & GND PSNL WERE NOT AWARE THAT FA WAS AVAIL AT CO WX TRML. FA FCSTD LGT & OCNL MOD RIME & MXD ICG IN CLDS & PRECIP ABV FRZG LVL. WX DTRTD, BUT PLTS DID NOT REQ INFLT WX INFO OR PIREPS. FLT MNL NOTED TAILPLANE ICE MAY CAUSE NOSE DWN TRIM CHG WITH FLAP EXTN. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF TAIL PLANE STALL, LACK OF CO TRNG IN COLD WX OPNS, DEFICIENCIES IN USE OF DEICING SYS, & LACK OF FAA SURVEILLANCE.

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N167PC](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N167PC-1997-09-29), registration cancelled 1997-09-29, S/N 710 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BRITISH AEROSPACE 3101
- Registry model: [British Aerospace BAE JETSTREAM 3101](https://openairdocs.org/model/british-aerospace-bae-jetstream-3101) (registry code 1500216) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 710
- Airframe hours: 8841
- Engines: GARRETT TPE-331 940 horsepower turbo prop
- Damage: Destroyed
- Fire: On-Ground
- Flight: Part 135
- Operator: Ccair Inc., doing business as Usair Express
- Registered owner: Meridian Trust Company Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
- Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, January 30, 1991, 8 hours before
- Departed: CLT, CHARLOTTE, NC
- Destination: BKW
- Flight plan: IFR
- Airport: BKW, Raleigh County Memorial, runway 19, 6,750 × 150 ft, asphalt

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 28; flight instructor, airline transport, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 5,000 total, 3,400 in this make and model, 3,500 as pilot in command, 231 in the last 90 days, 76 in the last 30 days, 6 in the last 24 hours

## Weather

- Conditions: Instrument (IMC), Night/dark
- Wind: 330° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: 200 ft overcast
- Temperature: 36 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observed at: BKW, 1 nm away

## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 19910131001279A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19910131001279A), Jan 31, 1991: Bag JETSTM3101, Beckley, WV, Destroyed. Deice system on MEL. Standby system only. Got icing on final. Unable flare collapsed gear on impact. No weather upd

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.

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