American Airlines Flight 625
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American Airlines Flight 625, a Boeing 727-100, crashed at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands on April 27, 1976, while on a domestic scheduled passenger flight originating at T. F. Green Airport in Rhode Island and ending at Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, with an intermediate stop at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Out of the 88 occupants on board, 37 were killed in the accident.[1]
Background
The airport in St. Thomas was notorious among pilots for its short (Script error: No such module "convert".) runway. In fact, the Boeing 727 was the heaviest aircraft type authorized to use it, and even then it was only authorized in one direction.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 727-195 registered as N1963. It was the 499th Boeing 727 ever built. It had logged a total of 21,926 hours of flying time. The aircraft was equipped with three Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7A engines.[2]
Crew
The captain onboard flight 625 was 54-year-old Arthur Bujnowski. He had 22,225 flight hours, with about 10,000 being on the 727. First officer Edward Offchiss was 36, and had 2,500 of his 8,000 flight hours on the 727. Flight engineer Donald Meatler was 45, with 9,500 flight hours, with 8,000 being in the 727.[3]Template:R/superscript
Accident
The American Airlines Boeing 727-195, registration N1963,[4] overran the departure end of Runway 9 when landing at Harry S. Truman airport. The aircraft ran off the end of the runway and into a Shell gas station, killing 37 (35 passengers and 2 flight attendants) of the 88 on board. Thirty-eight other passengers and crew were injured, and one person on the ground was seriously injured. The probable cause was the captain's actions and his judgment in not being aware that when he touched down Script error: No such module "convert". down the Script error: No such module "convert". runway, he did not have enough distance to perform a go-around.[3]
Investigation
Ultimately, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) attributed the accident to pilot error on the approach. The maximum flap setting of 40 degrees was never applied, which meant that the aircraft's speed was Script error: No such module "convert". higher than VREF as it crossed the runway threshold. This, combined with the fact that the aircraft 'floated' from turbulent winds in the area, meant that it was already Script error: No such module "convert". down the runway at the point of touchdown. The pilots did not brake, and proceeded to apply full throttle three seconds after touchdown in an attempt at a go-around. However, they were unable to reach takeoff speed because the 727's engines are slow-responding, taking about 6.6 seconds to power up. After five seconds of waiting for power, and with only Script error: No such module "convert". of runway left, the pilot panicked, according to the report, and applied full brakes. Further, the pilot forgot to apply reverse engine thrust until immediately before impact.[3]
Aftermath
As a result of the accident, American Airlines ended all jet flights to St. Thomas, flying instead to St. Croix (which had a 7,600 foot runway at the time). American Airlines passengers were then flown to St. Thomas in Convair 440 propeller-driven aircraft from St. Croix, with these flights being operated by a wholly owned subsidiary, American Inter-Island Airlines.[5] The Convair 440 aircraft were owned by American Airlines and flown and maintained via contract by Antilles Air Boats, a seaplane operator in the U.S. Virgin Islands.[6] Jet flights operated by American resumed when a new runway at St. Thomas was constructed with a length of Script error: No such module "convert"..Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
In popular culture
American Airlines Flight 625 was specifically mentioned in the movie Rain Man.[7]
See also
Notes
References
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ http://www.airliners.net, photos of American Inter-Island Convair 440 aircraft at St. Thomas airport (advanced search)
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, CAP479 World Airline Accident Summary Volume 2, Template:ISBN
External links
- Template:ASN accident
- NTSB Accident Investigation Report (PDF file) - Copy from Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University
Template:American Airlines Template:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1976 Template:Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in the 1970s
- Pages with script errors
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- Airliner accidents and incidents caused by pilot error
- Airliner accidents and incidents involving runway overruns
- Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1976
- Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 727
- American Airlines accidents and incidents
- Airliner accidents and incidents in the United States Virgin Islands
- 1976 in the United States Virgin Islands
- April 1976 in the United States
- Aviation accidents and incidents in 1976