Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Cleveland-Hopkins Int'l Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Cleveland, Ohio 44101
Sunday, February 17, 1991 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE FLIGHT HAD FLOWN THROUGH WEATHER CONDUCIVE TO AIRFRAME ICE ABOUT 40 MIN PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT DURING DESCENT INTO CLEVELAND. DURING THE 35-MINUTE TURNAROUND AT CLEVELAND THE CREW DID NOT EXIT THE AIRPLANE TO CONDUCT AN EXTERIOR PREFLIGHT INSPECTION TO VERIFY THAT THE WINGS WERE FREE OF ICE CONTAMINATION. IT WAS SNOWING WHILE THEY WERE ON THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE STALLED AND ROLLED INTO THE GROUND IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF. THERE WAS NO OPERATOR REQUIREMENT FOR THE PREFLIGHT. THE FLIGHT HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN TRAINING REGARDING THE EFFECTS OF WING CONTAMINATION ON THE AIRPLANE. THE FAA AND THE MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN AWARE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OF THE PROPENSITY OF THE DC-9 SERIES 10 TO THE LOSS OF CONTROL CAUSED BY WING CONTAMINATION, BUT NEITHER OF THEM TOOK POSITIVE ACTION TO INCLUDE RELATED INFORMATION IN THE APPROVED AIRPLANE FLIGHT MANUAL.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE FAILURE OF THE FLIGHTCREW TO DETECT AND REMOVE ICE CONTAMINATION ON THE AIRPLANE'S WINGS, WHICH WAS LARGELY A RESULT OF A LACK OF APPROPRIATE RESPONSE BY THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT COMPANY, AND RYAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES TO THE KNOWN CRITICAL EFFECT THAT A MINUTE AMOUNT OF CONTAMINATION HAS ON THE STALL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DC-9 SERIES 10 AIRPLANE. THE ICE CONTAMINATION LED TO WING STALL AND LOSS OF CONTROL DURING THE ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF. (NTSB REPORT AAR-91/09)
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 2/17/1991 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 19 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | CLEVELAND |
| Event State | OHIO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 44101 |
| Event Date Year | 1991 |
| Event Date Month | 2 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | CLEVELAND-HOPKINS INT'L |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | CLE |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 785 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 2350 Eastern Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | CLE |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 726 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 1500 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Obscured |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 1 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -5 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -7 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 220 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 14 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Light |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 153 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 42821 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 12 2000 9:21AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N565PC |
| NTSB Number | DCA91MA021 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 121: Air Carrier |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | MCDONNELL DOUGLAS |
| Aircraft Model | DC-9-15 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | DC-9-15 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 47240 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 90700 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 3 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jan 2 2000 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | WILMINGTON TRUST COMPANY |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | C/O EQUIPMENY LEASING AMD |
| Aircraft Owner City | WILIMINGTON |
| Aircraft Owner State | DE |
| Aircraft Owner Country | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 19890 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | RYAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 1600 AIRPORT ROAD |
| Operator City | WICHITA |
| Operator State | KS |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | 67209 |
| Operator Code | RYNA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | -- |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Non-scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Cargo |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | -- |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | CLE |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 19 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | IND |
| Destination City | INDIANAPOLIS |
| Destination State | IN |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Takeoff |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 21 2008 4:16PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\HAMG |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 23L |
| Runway Length | 8998 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |