- Date
- December 13, 1994, 18:34 local (23:34 UTC)
- Place
- Morrisville, NC
- Injuries
- 15 fatal, 5 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N918AEBritish Aerospace Jetstream 3201
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19941213041549A
- Case key
- 10993
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
1) the captain's improper assumption that an engine had failed, and 2) the captain's subsequent failure to follow approved procedures for engine failure, single-engine approach and go-around, and stall recovery. Contributing to the cause of the accident was the failure of AMR Eagle/Flagship management to identify, document, monitor, and remedy deficiencies in pilot performance and training. (NTSB Report AAR-95/07)
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
The airplane crashed about 4 miles southwest of the runway 5L threshold during an ILS approach. The captain had associated the illumination of the left engine IGN light, illuminated as a result of a momentary negative torque condition when the propeller speed levers were advanced tp 100% and the power levers were at flight idle, with an engine failure. There was no evidence of an engine failure. The captain failed to follow established procedures for engine failure identification, single engine appoach, single engine go-around, and stall recovery. AMR Eagle training did not adequately address the recognition of engine failure at low power, the aerodynamic effects of asymmetric thrust from a 'windmilling' propeller, and high thrust on the other engine. AMR Eagle and Flagship Airlines crew training records do not provide sufficient detail for management to track performance. Flagship Airlines management was deficient in its knowledge of the types of crew records available, and in the content and use of such records.
Factual narrative
The crew of American Eagle Flight 3379 was completing the return leg of a scheduled out-and-back trip sequence between Raleigh Durham, North Carolina and Greensboro, North Carolina. The flight was cleared for runway 5 left ILS approach. The crew switched radio frequencies to Raleigh Durham tower, and the local air traffic controller cleared the flight to land at 1832:20 eastern standard time. The aircraft crashed approximately four miles southwest of the runway threshold in a wooded area. The pilot, co-pilot and thirteen passengers were fatally injured, while the other five passengers were seriously injured. A post crash fire was extinguished by the Morrisville Fire Department and other agencies in Wake County. The weather report from Raleigh Durham weather facility at the time of the accident reported the ceiling at 500 feet overcast, 2 miles visibility in light rain and fog, wind 010 degrees at 8 knots, temperature 38 degrees (F), dew point 36 degrees (F), and altimeter 30.31 inches.
ADDITIONAL PARTIES INCLUDE: capt Joe Oyler, Allied Pilots Assoc, 2214 Paddock Way, Grand Prairie, TX, 75050; Gary Parham, NATCA, 108 Quail Run Circle, Stockbridge, GA 30281; Tom Knopp, McCauley Propeller, 3535 McCauley Drive, Vandalia, OH 45377
Aircraft
- Registration
- N918AE
- Reported as
- British Aerospace Jetstream 3201 (JETSTREAM)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 918
- Airframe hours
- 6,577
- Engines
- Garrett TPE-331-12UHR, 1,020 horsepower, turbo propGarrett TPE-331-12UHR, 1,020 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Flagship Airlines Inc., doing business as American Eagle
- Registered owner
- First Security Bank Utah
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · December 1, 1994 · 46 hours before
- Departed
- GSO · Greensboro, NC
- Destination
- RDU · Raleigh, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- RDU · Raleigh-Durham Intl, runway 5L, 10,000 × 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
- 29
- Certificates
- 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
- 3,499 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 10° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RDU, 4 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.