- Date
- December 14, 1987, 13:58 local (19:58 UTC)
- Place
- Joplin, MO
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 5 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N331PXBritish Aerospace BAE-3101
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871214071219A
- Case key
- 34475
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 capt stated that he had planned the approach at a higher-than-normal airspeed and altitude due to a reported low level windshear. At 400 feet AGL the acft entered a light downdraft but the crew corrected the descent profile with power. At 200 feet AGL the acft suddenly, according to the capt, pitched down before impacting the runway. Witnesses stated that the acft pitched down on short final, leveled off, then slammed onto the runway on all wheels. It then bounced, pitched down again and impacted the runway nose-first. A subsequent inspection, operational test, and teardown of the airplane's stall protection system found it to be functioning satisfactorily. The two powerplants also tested within normal parameters.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N331PX
- Reported as
- British Aerospace BAE-3101
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 700
- Airframe hours
- 3,470
- Engine
- Garrett TPE-331-10, 900 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Express Airlines, Inc., doing business as Republic Exp/Northwest Airlink
- Registered owner
- Meridian Trust Co. (Trustee)
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- AAIP · November 10, 1987 · 246 hours before
- Departed
- MEM · Memphis, TN
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- JLN · Joplin Municipal, runway 13, 6,503 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,864 total · 414 in this make and model · 1,400 as pilot in command · 253 in the last 90 days · 82 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- JLN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.