Individually Owned: 151,845
Corporate Owned: 143,699
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Gadsden, Alabama 35901
Monday, April 9, 1990 18:05 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
DRG DEP FM RWY 24 WITH AN IFR CLNC, AN ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST AIRLINE FLT (EMBRAER EMB-120, N217AS) ENTERED A LEFT TURN TO A HDG OF EAST & CLIMBED TO AN ASSIGNED ALT OF 5000' MSL. BEFORE RADAR CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED WITH ATC, THE EMB-120 CONVERGED WITH A CAP CESSNA 172, N99501. THE CESSNA WAS HDG WESTBOUND TOWARD THE SETTING SUN. SUBSEQUENTLY, A HEAD-ON COLLISION OCCURRED ABOUT 2-1/2 MI SOUTH OF THE ARPT. DRG IMPACT, THE RGT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER OF THE EMB-120 SEPD FROM THE ACFT, BUT IT CONTD FLYING TO A SAFE LNDG. THE CESSNA, HOWEVER, ENTERED AN UNCTLD DSCNT & CRASHED. A WITNESS, WHO SAW THE COLLISION, DID NOT NOTE ANY EVASIVE ACTION BY EITHER ACFT BEFORE IMPACT. THE CREW OF THE EMB-120 RPRTD THAT THEY SAW THE CESSNA MOMENTS BEFORE IMPACT. THE CAPT OF THE EMB-120 SAID HE TOOK IMMEDIATE EVASIVE ACTION BY 'PUSHING' THE NOSE DOWN, BUT WAS UNABLE TO AVOID A COLLISION. A FLT ATTENDANT ON THE EMB-120 RECALLED A 'THUMP' BEFORE THE ACFT STARTED A DSCNT.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
INADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT BY THE PILOTS OF BOTH AIRCRAFT, WHICH RESULTED IN THEIR FAILURE TO SEE-AND-AVOID ONCOMING TRAFFIC. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE SUN'S GLARE, WHICH RESTRICTED THE VISION OF THE CESSNA 172 PILOT.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/9/1990 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 1805 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | GADSDEN |
| Event State | ALABAMA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 35901 |
| Event Date Year | 1990 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | Yes |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1754 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 90 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | GAD |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 569 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 3 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 25000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 25 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 14 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 170 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 6 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| 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 | 7 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2097 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 9 1990 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1430 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 43543 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Nov 17 2009 4:43PM |
| User who most recently changed record | grol |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
||
|---|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
Aircraft #2 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N217AS | N99501 |
| NTSB Number | ATL90FA095A | ATL90FA095B |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- | -- |
| Damage | Substantial | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | EMBRAER | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | EMB-120 | 172 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | EMB-120 | 172 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 120011 | 17276455 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 25353 | 2400 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 33 | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 2 | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 0 | 0 |
| Airframe Hours | -- | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ||
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | ||
| Aircraft Owner City | ||
| Aircraft Owner State | ||
| Aircraft Owner Country | ||
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | ||
| Operator is an individual? | -- | -- |
| Operator Name | ATLANTIC SOUTHEAST | CIVIL AIR PATROL INC |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No | No |
| Operator Street Address | 1688 PHOENIX PARKWAY | NATIONAL HQ BUILDING 714 |
| Operator City | COLLEGE PARK | MAXWELL AFB |
| Operator State | GA | AL |
| Operator Country | ||
| Operator Zip code | 30349 | 36112 |
| Operator Code | ||
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Scheduled | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | GAD | GAD |
| Departure City | GADSDEN | GADSDEN |
| Departure State | AL | AL |
| Departure Country | ||
| Departure Time | 1753 | 1600 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | ATL | |
| Destination City | ATLANTA | |
| Destination State | GA | |
| Destination Country | ||
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Nov 17 2009 5:04PM | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | grol | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 24 | 0 |
| Runway Length | 6803 | 0 |
| Runway Width | 150 | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No | No |
| Medical Flight | -- | -- |