- Date
- December 1, 1993, 19:50 local (Dec 2, 1993, 01:50 UTC)
- Place
- Hibbing, MN
- Injuries
- 18 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N334PXJetstream BA-3100
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 27, 1994
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting
- Investigation class
- Class 1
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19931202045359A
- Case key
- 10980
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 captain's actions that led to a breakdown in crew coordination and the loss of altitude awareness by the flightcrew during an unstabilized approach in night instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident were: the failure of the company management to adequately address the previously identified deficiencies in airmanship and crew resource management of the captain; the failure of the company to identify and correct a widespread, unapproved practice during instrument approach procedures; and the federal aviation administration's inadequate surveillance and oversight of the air carrier. (NTSB report AAR-94/05)
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
While on a localizer back course approach the airplane collided with trees and the terrain aprx 3 mi from the runway threshold. The captain delayed the start of the descent that subsequently required an excessive descent rate to reach the faf and mdh. The captain's actions led to distractions during critical phases of the approach. The flightcrew lost altitude awareness and allowed the airplane to descend below mandatory level off points. The captain's record raised questions about his airmanship and behavior that suggested a lack of crew coordination during flight operations, including intimidation of first officers. Company management did not address these matters adequately. The airline's flight operations management failed to implement provisions to adequately oversee the training of their flightcrews and the operation of their aircraft. FAA guidance to their inspectors concerning implementation of ops bulletins is inadequate and has failed to transmit valuable safety information as intended to airlines.
Factual narrative
See section 1.1, History of the Flight, in NTSB Aircraft Accident Report "Express II Airlines, Inc.,/Northwest Airlink Flight 5719, Jetstream BA-3100, N334PX, Hibbing, Minnesota, December 1, 1993." (AAR-94/05)
Aircraft
- Registration
- N334PX
- Reported as
- Jetstream BA-3100
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 706
- Airframe hours
- 17,156
- Engine
- Garrett TPE-331-10, 900 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Express Airlines II, Inc., doing business as Northwest Airlink
- Registered owner
- Meridian Trust Company
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · November 30, 1993 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- MSP · Minneapolis, MN
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- HIB · Chisholm-Hibbing, runway 13, 6,758 × 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 7,853 total · 2,267 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HIB, 3 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.