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Information About

American Airlines Flight 383




  Date November 8 , 1965
  Type Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)
  Site near Cincinnati
  Fatalities 58
  Injuries 4


  Bgcol transparent
  Type Boeing 727-123
  Operator American Airlines
  Tail Number N1996
  Passengers 62 Total
  Crew Unknown
  Survivors 4


American Airlines Flight 383 was a flight from New York to Cincinnati on November 8 , 1965 . The aircraft was a Boeing 727 -123 aircraft with 62 people on board. The aircraft crashed on approach to Cincinnati and only 3 passengers and 1 flight attendant on board survived.


EVENTS LEADING TO THE CRASH


The flight was delayed for 20 minutes in New York but the flight itself was uneventful. At 18:45, the crew called Cincinnati tower for a valley. The aircraft approached the airport from the southeast and turned its heading to north to cross the Ohio River. It turned west after crossing to the northern shore of the Ohio River, intending to make a final turn to southeast after crossing the Ohio River (which runs from northwest to southeast) again to the southern shore of the river. After that final turn, the aircraft would line up with the runway 18 of the airport to make the final approach. The pilots were attempting to make the landing on visual.

The aircraft flew into thick cloud and thunderstorm after flying into the northwest of the airport. It descended more rapidly than it should have been without either pilots in the cockpit noticing. The airport is situated at the altitude of 853ft and the aircraft had descended to the level of 553ft above the airport while it was still about 5 Nm northeast of the airport. It descended to just 3ft above the airport while it was about 3 Nm north of the airport. Its correct altitude should have been just below 1000ft at that time. It continued its descent into the Ohio River valley while crossing the river back to the southern shore. When it made its last turn to the southeast to line up with the runway, it flew into the wooded slopes of the valley 3 Km north of the runway threshold in poor visibility, at an altitude of -225ft (i.e. 225ft below the runway's altitude). It then exploded and was engulfed in flames.


INVESTIGATION


The Civil Aeronautics Board conducted the subsequent investigation. The investigation concluded that the aircraft was working normally and fully under the control of the pilots at the time of the crash. It was later believed that the following factors might have contributed to the crash:
  • Under poor visibility in rain at night, the light from houses in the Ohio River valley might have confused the pilots as runway lights while in fact they are in the valley and locate below the altitude of the airport.

  • The Altimeter on the aircraft might have confused the pilots of their true altitude once the aircraft had descended through 0ft (relative to the airport), since the altimeter is supposed to be read differently after it descended into negative territory.

  • The pilots might have been busily adjusting flight controls to maintain the flight stability under severe weather and omitted the readings on the altimeter.

  • Mistakes by pilots might have been prompted by the delay in departing New York, and by the crew’s anxiety to beat the weather into Cincinnati, which are again concluded as the primary reason for the crash of American Airlines Flight 1420 on June 1 , 1999 .



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