AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT CASE STUDY National Transportation Safety Board Aircraft Accident Report Uncontrolled Flight Into Terrain, December 22, 1996 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University This report provides a summary of the National Transportation Safety Boards Report on the accident involving a Douglas DC-8-63, N827AX, operated by ABX Air Inc. (Airborne Express). The description provides a brief synopsis of accident flight. The discussion is an examination of the history of the flight and discussion on those findings I found were most causal to the accident that were covered by the National Transportation Safety Board during their investigation. The report also explores those probable causes that attributed to the accident and action provided by the National Transportation Safety board in the prevention of similar mishaps. DESCRIPTIONOn December 22, 1996, at 1810 eastern standard time, a Douglas DC-8-63, N827AX, operated by ABX Air Inc. (Airborne Express) impacted mountainous terrain in the vicinity of Narrows, Virginia, while on a post-modification functional evaluation flight. The three flightcrew members and three maintenance/avionics technicians on board were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed by the impact and a postcrash fire. The functional evaluation flight, which originated from Piedmont Triad International Airport, Greensboro, North Carolina, was conducted on an instrument flight rules flight plan and operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable causes of this accident were the inappropriate control inputs applied by the flying pilot during a stall recovery attempt, the failure of the nonflying pilot-in-command to recognize, address, and correct these inappropriate control inputs, and the failure of ABX to establish a formal functional evaluation flight program that included adequate program guidelines, requirements and pilot t...
