Bangor Intl Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report

Bangor, Maine 04401
Friday, January 10, 1997 9:23 EST

During takeoff roll, as the FO rotated the airplane, the stall warning horn activated. The airplane lifted from the runway with the stall horn on, and above V1 speed the PIC called out to abort. The FO aborted the takeoff and landed the airplane on the runway. The airplane then entered a snow bank on the left side of the runway. Service Difficulty Reports revealed other stall horn activation's had occurred on takeoff; several occurred after deicing and were attributed to frozen stall vanes on the wing. The accident airplane had been deiced prior to the takeoff. The BE1900 check list called for the stall vane heat to be turned on just before takeoff. Stall training provided by the operator did not include BE1900 simulators, and all recoveries were initiated at the stall horn. The FAA practical test standard for type ratings required the recognition of the stall buffet, stick shaker, or decay of control effectiveness. The flight crew had not received winter operations training, and this was the Boston based PIC's third takeoff in snow. Multiple FAA inspections over several years revealed the Operator was not in compliance with regulations, which included their training program; however, they continued to operate unrestricted. Airport operations had ceased snow plowing the 300 foot wide runway to accommodate airline operations, and reported the runway had been plowed 75 feet west and 150 feet east of runway center. The runway was measured to be plowed 55 feet left of center, with a 1 foot high, and 10 foot wide pile of snow on the west side of the runway. The plowed portion had an icy covering.

The inadequate flight and winter operations training provided by the operator, and the pilot's improper decision to abort the takeoff while airborne above V1, due to a false stall warning horn. Also casual was the airport operations improper decision to discontinue plowing, and their failure to remove a snow pile on the runway. Factors relating to the accident were an easterly crosswind, the narrow icy runway conditions, inadequate FAA oversight in allowing the operator to continue operations with an inadequate training program that continued over several years, and the manufacturer's checklist which delayed the activation of the stall vane heat until just prior to takeoff.