Lockheed L-188 N5523

Summary

On 30 May 1984 at about 05:44 local time, a Lockheed L-188 registered N5523 was involved in an accident near Chalkhill, Pennsylvania, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

30 May 1984 at 05:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Chalkhill, Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Lockheed L-188

Registration

N5523

Category

Airplane

Engines

4

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Baltimore → Ypsilanti

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

Unk

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

DCA84AA024

4 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

AFTER DEPARTING THE BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON ARPT, THE ACFT HAD CLIMBED TO FL 220. ACCORDING TO INFO ON THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER (VCR), THE CREW EXPERIENCED GYRO PROBLEMS DURING THE CLIMB. THEY SELECTED THE #1 VERTICAL GYRO TO DRIVE BOTH APPROACH HORIZONS (ATTITUDE INDICATORS), SINCE THERE WAS AN INDICATION OF A MALFUNCTION IN THE #2 VERTICAL GYRO SYS. ABOUT 7 MIN AFTER LEVELING AT FL 220, THE FLT WAS CLEARED TO THE DRYER VOR. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THERE WERE INDICATIONS OF CONFUSION IN THE COCKPIT WHICH INCLUDED THE STATEMENTS, 'WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE,' 'YOU GOT IT?' & 'NO.' THE ACFT ENTERED A RIGHT DESCENDING SPIRAL; THE INDICATED AIRSPEED INCREASED FROM APRX 205 TO 317 KTS; THEN AN IN-FLT BREAKUP OCCURRED. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND SCATTERED OVER AN AREA APRX 2 MI LONG BY 1 MI WIDE. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE IN-FLT STRUCTURAL FAILURE HAD OCCURRED DUE TO OVERLOAD, THEN A FIRE IGNITED IN THE RIGHT WING AFTER IT HAD FAILED. THE ACFT WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AN INDEPENDENT STANDBY ATTITUDE INDICATOR.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.