British BAE-3101 N410UE

Summary

On 27 December 1989 at about 06:30 local time, a British BAE-3101 registered N410UE, operated by Npa/United Express, was involved in an accident near Pasco, Washington, United States. 6 people were on board and 6 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 December 1989 at 06:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Pasco, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Tri-Cities (PSC)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

British BAE-3101

Registration

N410UE

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Npa/United Express

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Yakima → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

DCA90MA011

6 people died.

THE FLIGHTCREW'S DECISION TO CONTINUE AN UNSTABILIZED INSTRUMENT LANDING SYSTEM (ILS) APPROACH THAT LED TO A STALL, MOST LIKELY OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, AND LOSS OF CONTROL AT LOW ALTITUDE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER'S IMPROPER VECTORS THAT POSITIONED THE AIRPLANE INSIDE THE OUTER MARKER WHILE IT WAS STILL WELL ABOVE THE GLIDESLOPE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE STALL AND LOSS OF CONTROL WAS THE ACCUMULATION OF AIRFRAME ICE THAT DEGRADED THE AERODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE OF THE AIRPLANE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

DURING ARRIVAL FOR AN ILS RWY 21R APCH, THE ACFT ENCTRD ICING CONDS FOR ABOUT 9-1/2 MIN. AS THE ACFT WAS VECTORED FOR THE APCH, THE SEATTLE ARTCC CTLR USED AN EXPANDED RADAR RANGE & DID NOT PROVIDE PRECISE PSNG OF THE ACFT TO THE FINAL APCH COURSE. THE FLT CREW ATMTD TO CONT ON A STEEP, UNSTABILIZED APCH FOR A LNDG. RECORDED RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT THE ACFT WAS WELL TO THE RGT OF THE ILS COURSE LINE & WELL ABOVE THE GLIDE SLOPE AS IT PASSED THE OUTER MARKER/FINAL APCH FIX (FAF). IT DID NOT INTERCEPT THE LOCALIZER COURSE UNTIL IT WAS ABT 1.5 MI INSIDE THE FAF. ALSO, IT WAS STILL WELL ABOVE THE ILS GLIDE SLOPE WERE RECORDED ALT DATA WAS LOST WHEN THE ACFT WAS ABT 2.5 MI FM THE ARPT. THE TWR HAD CLOSED, BUT THE CTLR SAW THE ACFT IN A HIGHER THAN NORMAL RATE OF DSCNT IN A WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE. BFR RCHG THE RWY, THE ACFT NOSED OVER & CRASHED IN A STEEP DSCNT. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT ICE HAD ACCUMULATED ON THE AIRFRAME, INCLUDING THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS, WHICH MAY HAVE RESULTED IN A TAIL PLANE STALL. (SEE: NTSB/AAR-91/06)

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.