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American Airlines Flight 383 (1965)

March 03, 2023

This article is about the accident that occurred in 1965. For the 2016 incident, see American Airlines Flight 383 (2016).

American Airlines Flight 383 was a nonstop flight from New York City to Cincinnati on November 8, 1965.[1]: 1  The aircraft was a Boeing 727, with 57 passengers, and 5 crew on board.[1]: 1  The aircraft crashed on final approach to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport located in Hebron, Kentucky, United States. Only three passengers and one flight attendant survived the crash.[1]: 5 

American Airlines Flight 383
An American Airlines Boeing 727-23, similar to the one involved.
Accident
DateNovember 8, 1965
SummaryControlled flight into terrain[1]
SiteConstance, Kentucky
39°5′11″N 84°39′43″W / 39.08639°N 84.66194°W / 39.08639; -84.66194Coordinates: 39°5′11″N 84°39′43″W / 39.08639°N 84.66194°W / 39.08639; -84.66194
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 727-23
OperatorAmerican Airlines
RegistrationN1996
Flight originLaGuardia Airport
New York City, United States
DestinationCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Hebron, Kentucky, United States
Occupants62
Passengers57
Crew5
Fatalities58
Injuries4
Survivors4

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 727-100 (registration number N1996), serial number 18901.[1]: 7  The Boeing 727 was delivered to American Airlines on June 29, 1965, and had operated a total of 938 hours at the time of the accident.[1]: 7 

Events leading to the crash

The flight was delayed for 20 minutes in New York.[1]: 25  Until the landing attempt, the flight from New York to Cincinnati was uneventful.[1]: 2  At 18:45 (6:45 PM) Eastern Standard Time, the crew contacted the airline via ARINC company radio to report a 19:05 (7:05 PM) estimated time of arrival at Cincinnati.[1]: 1–2  The weather was fine near the airport except for thunder clouds developing northwest of the airport across the Ohio River valley.[citation needed] At 18:57 (6:57 PM), Flight 383 was cleared by the approach controller for a visual approach to Cincinnati's runway 18 (now runway 18C), and was advised of precipitation just west of the airport.[1]: 2  The aircraft approached the airport from the southeast and turned to a northerly heading to cross the Ohio River. It turned west after crossing to the northern shore of the Ohio River, intending to make a final turn to southeast after crossing the Ohio River (which runs from northwest to southeast) again to the southern shore of the river. After that final turn, the aircraft would line up with the runway 18 of the airport to make the final approach.

At 18:58 (6:58 PM), the approach controller transferred Flight 383 to the Cincinnati tower frequency.[1]: 2  At 18:59 (6:59 PM), Flight 383 received clearance from the tower controller to land on runway 18.[1]: 2 

Crash

The aircraft flew into thick clouds and a thunderstorm after flying toward the airport from the northwest. It descended more rapidly than it should have, without either pilot in the cockpit noticing. The airport is situated at an elevation of 853 feet (260 m) and the aircraft had descended to the level of 553 ft (169 m) above the airport while it was still about 5 mi (8.0 km) northeast of the airport. It descended to just 3 ft (per altimeter) above the airport while it was about 3 nm north of the airport. Its correct altitude should have been just below 1,000 ft (300 m) at that time. It continued its descent into the Ohio River valley while crossing the river back to the southern shore. When it made its last turn to the southeast to line up with the runway, it flew into the wooded slopes of the valley 3 km north of the runway threshold in poor visibility, at an altitude of 225′ below the runway's elevation. It then exploded and was engulfed in flames.

Of the 62 people on board the aircraft, only four people (one flight attendant and three passengers) survived.[1]: 5, 7  One of the survivors was Israel Horowitz, an American record producer.

Investigation

 
CAB engineer examines the flight recorder of American Airlines Flight 383

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) investigated the accident.[1]: 1  CAB investigators concluded that the aircraft was working normally and fully under the control of the pilots at the time of the crash.[1]: 18  The aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder.[2] The flight data recorder showed the aircraft descended through 500 feet (150 m) in the last 42 seconds before impact, a normal rate of descent for the landing phase of operation. The CAB determined that the probable cause of the accident was the pilots' failure to properly monitor their altitude during a visual approach into deteriorating weather conditions.[1]: 26 

It was later believed that the following factors might have contributed to the crash:[3]

  • Lights from the houses in the Ohio River valley, located 400 feet (120 m) below the altitude of the airport, may have conveyed an illusion of runway lights.
  • The flight crew may have been confused about their true altitude, due to misinterpretation of the aircraft's drum-type altimeter after descending through 0 feet (relative to the airport altitude), or they may have had their hands full controlling the plane in severe weather and simply failed to notice the readings on the altimeter.
  • A late departure from New York and the deteriorating weather at Cincinnati may have put pressure on the flight crew.
  • Despite the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions, the flight crew chose to make a visual approach to the runway.

Aftermath

The estate of Samuel Creasy, one of the passengers who died aboard Flight 383, sued American Airlines for wrongful death. American Airlines responded by filing a third-party complaint against the Federal Aviation Administration and the Weather Bureau, in an attempt to shift liability for the crash to meteorologists and air traffic controllers for failure to warn the pilots of inclement weather or revoke the visual approach clearance. American Airlines also alleged that the accident was due to a downdraft rather than pilot error. A jury found AA liable for the accident and awarded Creasy's family $175,000 plus funeral expenses, a decision that was upheld on appeal to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.[4]

Two years after the crash of Flight 383, TWA Flight 128 crashed on the same hill while on approach to Cincinnati under poor visibility conditions.[5]

On December 13, 2017, Toni Ketchell, the surviving crew member, died.[6]

American Airlines still uses flight number 383, although it now operates from New York to Miami with the Boeing 777-300.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Aircraft Accident Report, American Airlines, Inc. Boeing 727, N1996, Near the Greater Cincinnati Airport, Constance, Kentucky, November 8, 1965" (PDF). Civil Aeronautics Board. October 7, 1966. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  2. ^ Daniel. "Last words – ATC conversations". Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  3. ^ Job, Macarthur (1994). Air Disaster Volume 1. Fyshwick, ACT: Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd. pp. 42–43. ISBN 1-875671-11-0.
  4. ^ American Airlines Inc. v. United States, 418 F.2d 180 (5th Cir. 1969) ("After an eighteen day trial, upon a jury verdict, judgment was entered against American in the sum of $175,000, plus funeral expenses. The District Judge found the United States not guilty of any negligence which contributed to the crash.").
  5. ^ Noble, Greg (November 16, 2015). "This week in Cincinnati history: 70 killed in worst plane crash at CVG". WCPO-TV. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
  6. ^ . Association of Professional Flight Attendants. 2017. Archived from the original on January 1, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  7. ^ "American Airlines (AA) #383 ✈ FlightAware". FlightAware. Retrieved May 8, 2021.

External links

 
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Aviation Accident Report: American Airlines Flight 383

March 03, 2023
american, airlines, flight, 1965, this, article, about, accident, that, occurred, 1965, 2016, incident, american, airlines, flight, 2016, american, airlines, flight, nonstop, flight, from, york, city, cincinnati, november, 1965, aircraft, boeing, with, passeng. This article is about the accident that occurred in 1965 For the 2016 incident see American Airlines Flight 383 2016 American Airlines Flight 383 was a nonstop flight from New York City to Cincinnati on November 8 1965 1 1 The aircraft was a Boeing 727 with 57 passengers and 5 crew on board 1 1 The aircraft crashed on final approach to the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport located in Hebron Kentucky United States Only three passengers and one flight attendant survived the crash 1 5 American Airlines Flight 383An American Airlines Boeing 727 23 similar to the one involved AccidentDateNovember 8 1965SummaryControlled flight into terrain 1 SiteConstance Kentucky 39 5 11 N 84 39 43 W 39 08639 N 84 66194 W 39 08639 84 66194 Coordinates 39 5 11 N 84 39 43 W 39 08639 N 84 66194 W 39 08639 84 66194AircraftAircraft typeBoeing 727 23OperatorAmerican AirlinesRegistrationN1996Flight originLaGuardia AirportNew York City United StatesDestinationCincinnati Northern Kentucky International AirportHebron Kentucky United StatesOccupants62Passengers57Crew5Fatalities58Injuries4Survivors4 Contents 1 Aircraft 2 Events leading to the crash 3 Crash 4 Investigation 5 Aftermath 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksAircraft EditThe aircraft involved was a Boeing 727 100 registration number N1996 serial number 18901 1 7 The Boeing 727 was delivered to American Airlines on June 29 1965 and had operated a total of 938 hours at the time of the accident 1 7 Events leading to the crash EditThe flight was delayed for 20 minutes in New York 1 25 Until the landing attempt the flight from New York to Cincinnati was uneventful 1 2 At 18 45 6 45 PM Eastern Standard Time the crew contacted the airline via ARINC company radio to report a 19 05 7 05 PM estimated time of arrival at Cincinnati 1 1 2 The weather was fine near the airport except for thunder clouds developing northwest of the airport across the Ohio River valley citation needed At 18 57 6 57 PM Flight 383 was cleared by the approach controller for a visual approach to Cincinnati s runway 18 now runway 18C and was advised of precipitation just west of the airport 1 2 The aircraft approached the airport from the southeast and turned to a northerly heading to cross the Ohio River It turned west after crossing to the northern shore of the Ohio River intending to make a final turn to southeast after crossing the Ohio River which runs from northwest to southeast again to the southern shore of the river After that final turn the aircraft would line up with the runway 18 of the airport to make the final approach At 18 58 6 58 PM the approach controller transferred Flight 383 to the Cincinnati tower frequency 1 2 At 18 59 6 59 PM Flight 383 received clearance from the tower controller to land on runway 18 1 2 Crash EditThe aircraft flew into thick clouds and a thunderstorm after flying toward the airport from the northwest It descended more rapidly than it should have without either pilot in the cockpit noticing The airport is situated at an elevation of 853 feet 260 m and the aircraft had descended to the level of 553 ft 169 m above the airport while it was still about 5 mi 8 0 km northeast of the airport It descended to just 3 ft per altimeter above the airport while it was about 3 nm north of the airport Its correct altitude should have been just below 1 000 ft 300 m at that time It continued its descent into the Ohio River valley while crossing the river back to the southern shore When it made its last turn to the southeast to line up with the runway it flew into the wooded slopes of the valley 3 km north of the runway threshold in poor visibility at an altitude of 225 below the runway s elevation It then exploded and was engulfed in flames Of the 62 people on board the aircraft only four people one flight attendant and three passengers survived 1 5 7 One of the survivors was Israel Horowitz an American record producer Investigation Edit CAB engineer examines the flight recorder of American Airlines Flight 383 The Civil Aeronautics Board CAB investigated the accident 1 1 CAB investigators concluded that the aircraft was working normally and fully under the control of the pilots at the time of the crash 1 18 The aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder 2 The flight data recorder showed the aircraft descended through 500 feet 150 m in the last 42 seconds before impact a normal rate of descent for the landing phase of operation The CAB determined that the probable cause of the accident was the pilots failure to properly monitor their altitude during a visual approach into deteriorating weather conditions 1 26 It was later believed that the following factors might have contributed to the crash 3 Lights from the houses in the Ohio River valley located 400 feet 120 m below the altitude of the airport may have conveyed an illusion of runway lights The flight crew may have been confused about their true altitude due to misinterpretation of the aircraft s drum type altimeter after descending through 0 feet relative to the airport altitude or they may have had their hands full controlling the plane in severe weather and simply failed to notice the readings on the altimeter A late departure from New York and the deteriorating weather at Cincinnati may have put pressure on the flight crew Despite the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions the flight crew chose to make a visual approach to the runway Aftermath EditThe estate of Samuel Creasy one of the passengers who died aboard Flight 383 sued American Airlines for wrongful death American Airlines responded by filing a third party complaint against the Federal Aviation Administration and the Weather Bureau in an attempt to shift liability for the crash to meteorologists and air traffic controllers for failure to warn the pilots of inclement weather or revoke the visual approach clearance American Airlines also alleged that the accident was due to a downdraft rather than pilot error A jury found AA liable for the accident and awarded Creasy s family 175 000 plus funeral expenses a decision that was upheld on appeal to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals 4 Two years after the crash of Flight 383 TWA Flight 128 crashed on the same hill while on approach to Cincinnati under poor visibility conditions 5 On December 13 2017 Toni Ketchell the surviving crew member died 6 American Airlines still uses flight number 383 although it now operates from New York to Miami with the Boeing 777 300 7 See also Edit1961 Cincinnati Zantop DC 4 crash American Airlines Flight 1420 Aviation safety South African Airways Flight 228 pilot error reading a drum type altimeter on a Boeing 707 Alitalia Flight 404 American Airlines Flight 383 2016 American Airlines Flight 965 Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 TWA Flight 128 a Convair 880 that crashed near Flight 383 siteReferences Edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Aircraft Accident Report American Airlines Inc Boeing 727 N1996 Near the Greater Cincinnati Airport Constance Kentucky November 8 1965 PDF Civil Aeronautics Board October 7 1966 Retrieved July 21 2016 Daniel Last words ATC conversations Retrieved July 16 2013 Job Macarthur 1994 Air Disaster Volume 1 Fyshwick ACT Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd pp 42 43 ISBN 1 875671 11 0 American Airlines Inc v United States 418 F 2d 180 5th Cir 1969 After an eighteen day trial upon a jury verdict judgment was entered against American in the sum of 175 000 plus funeral expenses The District Judge found the United States not guilty of any negligence which contributed to the crash Noble Greg November 16 2015 This week in Cincinnati history 70 killed in worst plane crash at CVG WCPO TV Retrieved July 23 2016 APFA Mourns the Passing of FA Toni Ketchell Association of Professional Flight Attendants 2017 Archived from the original on January 1 2018 Retrieved December 31 2017 American Airlines AA 383 FlightAware FlightAware Retrieved May 8 2021 External links Edit Wikisource has original text related to this article Aviation Accident Report American Airlines Flight 383 Full Civil Aeronautics Board report Archive Figure 1 permanent dead link Figure 2 permanent dead link Figure 3 permanent dead link Figure 4 permanent dead link Figure 5 permanent dead link Table permanent dead link NTSB brief DCA66A0003 Detail Description of the events and investigation of the crash from CASA Flight Safety Magazine February 2006 issue The last words of the flight crew NTSB brief on another American Airlines Flight 383 incident on June 16 1993 non fatal Photo of the accident aircraft Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title American Airlines Flight 383 1965 amp oldid 1094996913, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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