- Date
- December 20, 2001, 19:45 local (Dec 21, 2001, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Boston, MA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 12 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N858CARaytheon BE-1900D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-01
- FAA report
- 20011220035459A
- Case key
- 53955
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 passengers misjudged step, which resulted in a loss of balance and subsequent fall.
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 parked on the ramp, with the engines were shut down, the first officer opened the main cabin door and exited the airplane. As the first officer stood between the main cabin door airstair and the left engine propeller blades, he observed a passenger, wearing sandal type shoes with no rear strap, deplaning. The first officer also observed that the passenger carried a medium sized bag around her left shoulder, another bag being carried with her right hand, and a book in her left hand. As the passenger stepped onto the first step, the first officer assisted her by guiding the bag being carried on her left shoulder away from the handrail. The passenger continued down the stairs, and when her right foot came down onto the last step, she lost her balance, and fell to the ground. The passenger was transported to a local hospital where she was diagnosed with a broken femur bone.
Factual narrative
On December 20, 2001, about 1945 eastern standard time, a passenger was seriously injured when she fell down the stairs of a Raytheon BE-1900D, N858CA, operated by CommutAir, as flight 2529, at the General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts. The airplane was not damaged. The captain, first officer, and 10 additional passengers were not injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the scheduled passenger flight that departed the Westchester County Airport, White Plains, New York, at 1848. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 121.
According to a written statement from the operator, the flight landed, proceeded to the ramp area, and the engines were shut down. The first officer opened the main cabin door and exited the airplane. As the first officer stood between the main cabin door airstair and the left engine propeller blades, he observed a passenger, wearing sandal type shoes with no rear strap, deplaning. The first officer also observed that the passenger carried a medium sized bag around her left shoulder, another bag being carried with her right hand, and a book in her left hand. As the passenger stepped onto the first step, the first officer assisted her by guiding the bag being carried on her left shoulder away from the handrail. The passenger continued down the stairs, and when her right foot came down onto the last step, she lost her balance, and fell to the ground.
The passenger was transported to a local hospital where she was diagnosed with a broken femur bone.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N858CA
- Reported as
- Raytheon BE-1900D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- UE-408
- Airframe hours
- 1,960
- Engine
- P&W Canada PT-67D, 1,279 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- Champlain Enterprises
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · December 20, 2001 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- HPN · White Plains, NY
- Destination
- BOS · Boston, MA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BOS · Logan International Airport
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,272 total · 1,432 in this make and model
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,287 total · 3,679 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 280° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.62 inHg
- Observed at
- BOS, 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.