1994 — Sep 8, US Air Flight 427 Crashes, Aliquippa, ~Pittsburgh International AP, PA–132

1994 — Sep 8, USAir Flight 427 crashes, Aliquippa, ~Pittsburgh International AP, PA– 132     

 

–132  Adair. The Mystery of Flight 427: Inside a Flight Investigation. Smithsonian Press, 2002.

–132  Assoc. Press. “Devastation Grim at Crash Scene.” Indiana Gazette, PA. 9-9-1994, p. 1.

–132  Hubert, R. “Crash of a Boeing 7370300 in Pittsburgh: 132 killed.” BAAA. Geneva, SUI.

–132  NTSB. AAR. Uncontrolled Descent and Collision with Terrain, USAir Flight 427. 1999.

–132  Sanders (Chair), et al. The Management of Losses Arising from Extreme Events. 178.

 

Narrative Information

 

NTSB: “Synopsis  On September 8, 1994, about 1903:23 eastern daylight time, USAir (now US Airways) flight 427, a Boeing 737-3B7 (737-300), N513AU, crashed while maneuvering to land at Pittsburgh International Airport, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Flight 427 was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Chicago-O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, to Pittsburgh. The flight departed about 1810, with 2 pilots, 3 flight attendants, and 127 passengers on board. The airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and impacted terrain near Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, about 6 miles northwest of the destination airport. All 132 people on board were killed, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan.

 

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the USAir flight 427 accident was a loss of control of the airplane resulting from the movement of the rudder surface to its blowdown limit. The rudder surface most likely deflected in a direction opposite to that commanded by the pilots as a result of a jam of the main rudder power control unit servo valve secondary slide to the servo valve housing offset from its neutral position and overtravel of the primary slide.

 

“The safety issues in this report focused on Boeing 737 rudder malfunctions, including rudder reversals; the adequacy of the 737 rudder system design; unusual attitude training for air carrier pilots; and flight data recorder (FDR) parameters.

 

“Safety recommendations concerning these issues were addressed to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Also, as a result of this accident, the Safety Board issued a total of 22 safety recommendations to the FAA on October 18, 1996, and February 20, 1997, regarding operation of the 737 rudder system and unusual attitude recovery procedures. In addition, as a result of this accident and the United Airlines flight 585 accident (involving a 737-291) on March 3, 1991, the Safety Board issued three recommendations (one of which was designated “urgent”) to the FAA on February 22, 1995, regarding the need to increase the number of FDR parameters.” (NTSB. AAR. Uncontrolled Descent and Collision with Terrain, USAir Flight 427. 1999.)

 

Associated Press: “Aliquippa, Pa. (AP) — The jetliner banked to the right, rolled a few times and nose-dived into a ravine. There was a muffled boom, then the sky turned bright with flames as a black cloud of smoke mushroomed into the air. ‘It was just coming straight down,’ said one person who saw the USAir jetliner crash Thursday evening.

“All 132 people aboard the Boeing 737-300 died — the deadliest crash in the United States since 1987 and USAir’s fifth fatal crash in as many years. A pilot, nurse and paramedic flown in by a medical helicopter walked through the site moments after the 7:19 p.m. crash. They saw body parts hanging from trees and baggage strewn everywhere. ‘It was total devastation,’ said Jim Bothwell, director of operations for the STAT MedEvac helicopter service. ‘The airplane was in a million pieces and the people inside were in pieces.’

“USAir Flight 427 originated in Chicago and was to stop in Pittsburgh before continuing to West Palm Beach, Fla.

“Jason Moka, a 10-year-old who was playing soccer a half-mile from where the plane went down, said its engines seemed to be sputtering before the crash.

“The crew radioed Pittsburgh International Airport when the plane was about six miles away and ‘there was no indication at that time of any difficulty,’ USAir said in a statement this morning.  Skies were clear.  Investigators hoped to gain some clues from the plane’s black box, which records flight data. An emergency worker said the box was recovered.

“The plane was powered by CFM-3B1 engines, made by CFM International, a joint venture of General Electric Co. and French manufacturer Snecma. The plane was manufactured in 1987 and had logged 23,846 flight hours and 14,489 takeoffs and landings.

“The jet crashed in a rocky, heavily wooded ravine about 10 miles from Pittsburgh International Airport an area of Beaver County best known for producing tough-as-nails steel-workers and such football stars as Tony Dorsett and Mike Ditka. Firefighters fought their way to the scene through trees and down treacherous terrain, but there was no road to transport heavy vehicles.
The search was called off about two hours after the crash, and the area was sealed off for the night.

“Crews began cutting a road into the site at daybreak, and as of midmorning a team was waiting for clearance from investigators to begin the search for remains. Refrigerated trucks waited to bring bodies to a temporary morgue at Beaver County Airport.

“A heavy downpour this morning was expected to make removing the remains even more difficult.  With body parts strewn over a wide area, some victims may never be identified, said Beaver County Coroner Wayne Tatalovich.

“The plane’s tailpiece seems to be the only part intact, said Jim Eichealaub, Hopewell Township emergency services director.

“Witnesses said the plane rolled over once or twice and headed nose-down into the ravine.
‘I looked up and there it was,’ said Tom Michel, who was at a gas station near the crash site. ‘It was just coming straight down. I was screaming for everybody to run.  It looked like it was under full power and he just went straight in.’ Linda Dickhart, a nearby resident, said the heat and smoke were ‘so intense you couldn’t see anything.’ ‘I thought it was coming in my room,’ Dickhart said. ‘Oh my God, I thought it was coming through my roof.’

“At Pittsburgh International Airport, people who had been waiting to meet passengers from the flight were taken into a private area to meet with counselors. USAir also was offering counseling at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport….

The crash was the worst in the United States since Aug. 16, 1987, when a Northwest Airlines MD-80 went down while taking off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, killing 156 people.  A 4-year-old girl was the sole survivor….

“Jerry Johnson, a spokesman for Boeing Commercial Airplane Group in Renton, Wash., said the plane that went down was delivered to USAir in October 1987. Examination of the wreckage showed the engines worked properly until the plane hit the ground. The plane had enough fuel to reach the airport. There was no evidence of hijacking and no explosion before the crash, said Carl Vogt, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board. Witnesses told investigators they saw no smoke and no parts drop from the plane.

“Meanwhile, The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reported today that a computer check of FAA records revealed numerous reports of minor corrosion detected throughout the plane’s 7-year history. Also, fuel from a central tank tended to go into a tank on the plane’s right side and throw it off balance. The problem was later fixed said the newspaper, which did not provide dates.
‘Records are going to be around forever. We’ve got to get to other things first,’ NTSB spokesman Michael Benson told the newspaper. He said he did not know whether the fuel problem is related to the crash.

“USAir Chairman Seth Schofield said the airline had ‘no reason to believe there was sabotage.’
Vogt said investigators are checking whether birds struck the plane, but there was no evidence that that’s what happened.

“The crew radioed controllers from six miles away on final approach for landing at the Pittsburgh airport. There was no indication before the crash, when the plane – about 6,000 feet high – apparently rolled to the left in an abnormal way, Vogt said.

“The plane dug a crater in a stand of trees and splintered into countless small pieces. Only its tail remained intact. ‘Usually when a plane crashes, there’s some large section left somewhere, but that didn’t happen in this case,’ said Jim Eichenlaub, Hopewell Township’s director of emergency services. ‘They’re all very small pieces.’ The amount of blood at the site and the possibility of contracting the AIDS virus forced workers to wear special suits and be decontaminated after leaving the site. (Indiana Gazette, PA. “Devastation Grim at Crash Scene.” 9-9-1994, p.1.)

 

NationMaster.com: “….The National Transportation Safety Board, after its longest investigation in history [5 years], determined that the crash was caused by a sudden swing of the plane’s rudder. The rudder movement was probably the result of a jam in a hydraulic valve that made the rudder go the opposite direction from the co-pilots’ command. The NTSB said a similar problem caused the March 3, 1991 crash of United Flight 585, which was also a Boeing 737….

 

“As a result of the crash of USAir Flight 427, Boeing redesigned the rudder system on 737s and Congress required airlines to do a better job dealing with families of crash victims.”

(NationMaster.com, Encyclopedia, USAir Flight 427.)

 

Adair: On January 15, 1997 Vice President Al Gore gave a speech to a conference on aviation safety and security.

 

As you know, the investigations into the crashes of Boeing 737s in Colorado Springs and Pittsburgh have not yet been closed. But those investigations have identified improvements that could help eliminate the chance of rudders playing a role in future accidents. These changes can and should be made without delay.

 

Boeing has developed modifications to the rudders of older 737s that will improve safety, and they are going to begin retrofitting those planes, largely at their own expense, without waiting for a government mandate. Under a schedule to be developed by the FAA, these improvements will be made in the next two years. This is a major action: it affects some 2,800 planes worldwide, 1,100 of them here in the United States.

 

“At a news conference later that day, Boeing officials announced the specifics. The company would modify every 737 rudder valve so it could not reverse. A limiter would be installed on the PCU[1] to prevent the rudder from going hardover.” [p. 181]

 

“At the NTSB’s urging, the FAA conducted an unprecedented study o the 737 rudder system. An independent panel of hydraulic engineers and flight control experts spent a year studying the valve, flying 737 simulators and analyzing extreme failures that were not fully explored in the Flight 427 investigation.

 

“In its final report, the panel agreed with the NTSB and warned that the 737 rudder system was susceptible to many failures and jams that could be catastrophic. The group recommended better training for 737 pilots and, in the long term, a complete redesign of the plane’s rudder system.

 

“As a result of the report, the FAA and Boeing announced in September 2000 that the unique valve-within a valve rudder system on all 737s would be replaced by a two-valve system, similar to the one used on other planes. The announcement marked a surprising and dramatic change for Boeing and the FAA. Both had insisted for years that the redesign was unnecessary.

 

“Boeing said it would pay the entire cost of the new rudder system, estimated to be more than $240 million. The company said the new system should be installed in all 737s by 2007.

 

“In the meantime, all 737s have been equipped with improved valves that cannot reverse. The planes also have better yaw damper couplers (the computers that command small adjustments to the rudder) and pressure limiters (devices that limit how far a rudder will move). Pilots have been alerted to the crossover point and have been trained to identify and recover from rudder problems.

 

“After years of complaints from the NTSB, the FAA mandated that airlines upgrade flight data recorders to take additional measurements such as rudder pedal position, a change that should make it easier for investigators to determine the cause of future crashes. Instead of the thirteen parameters recorded on the USAir plane, they now must have at least seventeen.

 

“Tom McSweeny, the FAA official who was criticized for being soft on Boeing, left the FAA in the fall of 2001. He is now director of international safety and regulatory affairs for Boeing.

 

“USAir changed its name to US Airways in early 1997 after former United Airlines head Stephen Wolf became chairman. One of Wolf’s first priorities was a new image that has helped erase the memories of the airline’s five crashes. US Airways repainted its fleet, announced plans to buy new Airbus planes (the airline said the 737 problems were not a factor in the decision), an improved amenities for frequent travelers….” (p. 208)  (Adair, Bill. The Mystery of Flight 427: Inside a Flight Investigation. Smithsonian 2002.)

 

 

Beitler: Passenger List from Flight 427, compiled from USAir, employers, relatives, news organizations.

Passengers:
DAVID GARBER, Westminster, Calif.
WALTER HEILIGENBERG, 56, Del Mar, Calif.
EDWIN VEGA, Bridgeport, Conn.
CHAD MORRIS, Wilmington, Del.
JOHNE BIGELOW-ABBOTT, Orlando, Fla.
ANI ARDHALDJIAN, Chicago.
NAROD ARDHALDJIAN, Chicago.
MARIA DICKERSON, 25, DeKalb, Illinois.
JOSEPH DUFFY, 28, Chicago.
THOMAS D. HARGER, Chicago.
JOAN LAHART, Lisle, Illinois.
ED MAHONEY, Countryside, Illinois.
DAN RUZICH, Des Plaines, Illinois.
SUSAN SCHWENKLER, Addison, Illinois.
JOEL THOMPSON, Oak Park, Illinois.
MICHAEL WILLIAMS, 28, DeKalb, Illinois.
GREG MORFORD, 40, West Des Moines, Ia.
ANTHONY RICH, Cumberland, Maine.
PAULA RICH, (pregnant wife), Cumberland, Maine.
DAVID HUXFORD, 54, Oakland, Maine.
PATRICIA OFFLEY, 46, New Bedford, Mass.
LARRY GRONDIN, 41, Nashua, N.H.
JOHN KUPCHUN, 52, Merrimack, N.H.
LAURIE BAER, 32, Ashville, N.Y.
MARY HAVLIN, New York City.
DAVID WHEELER, South Salem, N.Y.
TODD JOHNSON, Alliance, Oh.
RICK SCHELL, Brunswick, Oh.
WILLIAM AHER, Pittsburgh.
THOMAS ARRIGONI, McMurray, Pa.
MARSHALL BERKMAN, Pittsburgh.
HARRY BERNARD, Pittsburgh.
SCOTT BLAKE, McMurray, Pa.
RON BROWN, Trafford, Pa.
RONALD CALE, Allison Park, Pa.
DANIEL A. CLARK, 61, Hollidaysburg, Pa.
GUY CLEGG, 44, Masontown, Pa.
LAWRENCE COLE, Amity, Pa.
JOHN COOPER, Pittsburgh.
MICHAEL COSSEBOOM, Wexford, Pa.
TIMOTHY DAVIS, Zelienople, Pa.
KAREN DICKSON, Glenwillard, Pa.
JAMES ELLER, New Kensington, Pa.
DWIGHT EVANS, Tunkhannock, Pa.
ROBERT EVANS, Venetia, Pa.
MICHAEL FELGER, McKees Rocks, Pa.
LISA FERM, Pittsburgh.
CHARLES FIANTACA, Picture Rocks, Pa.
KEVIN C. FLAHERTY, 35, Cranberry.
RICHARD GARMHAUSEN, Pittsburgh.
JEFFREY GINGERRICH, Pittsburgh.
LEONARD GRASSO, 41, Monroeville, Pa.
GARY HAPACH, Pittsburgh.
CHARLES HARDOBEY, Pittsburgh.
STEVE HEINTZ, Mars, Pa.
JOY HENDERSON, Pittsburgh.
MELVIN HENRY, 36, Dubois, Pa.
SCOTT HOLDEN, 55, Pittsburgh.
WILL KABBERT, Pittsburgh.
DANIEL KAFCAS, Shaverstown, Pa.
THOMAS KINSEY, North Huntington, Pa.
BERNARD KOCH, Pittsburgh.
CAROLYN KWASNOSKI, Bethlehem, Pa.
DANIEL KWASNOSKI, Bethlehem, Pa.
GERALD R. LINDSTROM, 60, Fox Chapel, Pa.
DAVID LING, Pittsburgh.
KIRK D. LYNN, 26, Greensburg, Pa.
BRUCE MALENKE, 46, Uniontown, Pa.
ROBERT MARCINIAK, State College, Pa.
TIMOTHY McCOY, 27, Orbisonia, Pa.
TIM McILVRIED, Library, Pa.
CHARLES McNAMARA, Sewickley, Pa.
PAUL McSHERRY, Pittsburgh.
WILLIAM I. MENARCHECK, JR., 43, Hopwood, Pa.
DAVID MILRILOVICH, 38, Windber, Pa.
BRIAN NICHOLS, Nanticoke, Pa.
JEFF O’KEEFE, Downingtown, Pa.
WILLIAM PETERS, Canonsburg, Pa.
JOSE PONCE, McCandless Township, Pa.
EUGENE RAYKIN, Monroeville, Pa.
KEVIN RIMMELL, Carnegie, Pa.
EDWARD RYAN, Cheswick, Pa.
FRANK A. SANTAMARIA, 37, Pittsburgh.
ALAN SEFCIK, 43, North Franklin Township, Pa.
RICHARD SHILLINGER, Pittsburgh.
STEVEN SHORTLEY, Pittsburgh.
ERNEST SMATHERS, Wattsburg, Pa.
ANDREW SOLENSKY, 45, Johnstown, Pa.
JANET S. STAMOS, 40, Munhall, Pa.
THOMAS SZCZUR, 42, Johnstown, Pa.
JOCELYN P. TAYLOR, 35, Pittsburgh, Pa.
BERNIE VARISCO, Tarentum, Pa.
BERNARD WATERS, Pittsburgh.
EARL WEAVER III, 50, Upper St. Clair, Pa.
KATHLEEN WEAVER, Upper St. Clair, Pa.
BRYAN WEAVER, 16, Upper St. Clair, Pa.
LINDSEY WEAVER, 11, Upper St. Clair, Pa.
SCOTT WEAVER, 7, Upper St. Clair, Pa.
LEE WEAVER, Pittsburgh.
DONNA WHITE, 33, Pittsburgh.
EDWIN WILES, 50, Pittsburgh.
CURT YOUNG, Pittsburgh.
MICHELE ZISKA, Bridgeville, Pa.
LANCE SCHELHASS, 20, Corsica, S.D.
DANIEL AVERILL, Katy, Tx.
OVA NIMISHVIREDRA, Houston, Tx.
JOHN T. DICKENS, III, 47, Crozet, Va.
DAVID LAMANCA, 27, Roanoke, Va.
JOHN SPAHR, 49, Appomattox, Va.
RICHARD TALBOT, 61, Blacksburg, Va.
DEWITT WORRELL, Lexington, Va.
STEVE W. WYANT, 38, Charlottesville.
RANDALL DELLEFIELD, 37, Morgantown, W.V.
DENISE JENKINS, 28, Arthurdale, W.V.
JOSEPH KOON, 50, Parkersburg, W.V.
CHARLOTTE LANGAN, Morgantown, W.V.
WILLIAM T. LANGAN, Morgantown, W.V.
MANVILLE MAYFIELD, 68, Morgantown, W.V.
HOLMES WEBB, 52, Morgantown, W.V.
JACK WHITE, 55, St. Albans, W.V.
PAUL OLSON (hometown withheld).
SAM RAMASAMY, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Flight Crew:
Captain PETER GERMANO, 45, Moorestown, N.J.
First Officer CHARLES B. EMMETT, III, 38, Nassau Bay, Tx.
Flight Attendant STANLEY R. CANTY, 29, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Flight Attendant APRIL LYNN SLATER, 28, Irving, Tx.
Flight Attendant SARAH ELIZABETH SLOCUM-HAMLEY, 28, Chesapeake, Va.

 

(Beitler, Stu. “Passenger List from Flight 427.”)

 

Sources

 

Adair, Bill. The Mystery of Flight 427: Inside a Flight Investigation. Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002.

 

Associated Press. “Devastation Grim at Crash Scene [US Air Flight 427].” Indiana Gazette, Indiana, PA. 9-9-1994, p.1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=111993074

 

AVweb. “USAir 427: One Accident, Three Views,” 10-26-1997. Accessed at: http://www.avweb.com/news/safety/183027-1.html

 

Beitler, Stu. “Passenger List from Flight 427 [Aliquippa, PA 9-8-1994].” Accessed at:  http://www3.gendisasters.com/pennsylvania/19137/aliquippa-pa-jetliner-crashes-sep-1994

 

Cobb, Roger W. and David M. Primo. Chapter 4, “The Crash of USAir Flight 427, pp. 60-79 in: The Plane Truth: Airline Crashes, the Media, and Transportation Policy. Brookings Institution Press, 2003.

 

Hubert, Ronan. “Crash of a Boeing 7370300 in Pittsburgh: 132 killed.” Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives, Geneva, Switzerland. Accessed 2-27-2016 at: http://www.baaa-acro.com/presentation/

 

National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Report. Uncontrolled Descent and Collision with Terrain, USAIR Flight 427, Boeing 737-300, N513AU, Near Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, September 8, 1994 (NTSB-AAR-99/01. Washington, DC: NTSB, March 24, 1999, 370 pages. Accessed at: http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/1999/AAR9901.pdf

 

Sanders, D.E.A. (Chair), et al. The Management of Losses Arising from Extreme Events. GIRO, 2002, 261 pgs. Accessed 2-27-2016 at: https://www.actuaries.org.uk/documents/management-losses-arising-extreme-events

 

 

 

 

[1] Power Control Unit — hydraulic device that moves the rudder or another flight control. The rudder PCU on the 737 is about the size of an upright vacuum cleaner. (Adair 2002, p. 214.)