Failure to maintain glide-path profile is blamed for American MD-83 accident
THE FLIGHT CREW'S failure to maintain the required glide-path profile until visual references were identifiable and the runway in sight was responsible for the 12 November 1995 American Airlines MD-83 landing accident at Connecticut's Bradley International Airport, according to the report issued by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The aircraft hit trees and an instrument-landing system antenna on short finals, landing in heavy rain and darkness just short of the runway.
There were no serious injuries reported among the five crewmembers or the 72 passengers on board the aircraft. Bradley's storm-damaged tower had been closed but the crew was given clearance to land "at (their) own discretion".
The report also concludes that, but for the approach controller's failure to provide the flight crew with the latest altimeter setting, and the flight crew's failure to ask for that information, the American Airlines aircraft would probably have cleared the trees.
Source: Flight International
