The Plane Crash

The crash involved a DC 9 jet owned by the now-defunct Southern Airways on a charter flight from Kinston NC. While attempting an instrument approach to Runway 12 at HTS, Huntington WV airport, in rain and fog, the pilots impacted a hill which is about 3/4 of a mile west of the runway threshold. The NTSB called the accident "CFIT" or Controlled Flight Into Terrain.

Flight 932 was normal in all respects up to that point. The flight had received the latest weather report from Huntington Tower and was cleared to initiate an instrument approach to RW 12, which would allow a safe descent to visual conditions, lined up with the centerline. The procedure was called a "non-precision approach": that is...an approach without an electronic glide path to the runway. Experienced commercial pilots are well trained on this kind of procedure and while they prefer an ILS approach with glide path, the non-precision approach is doable, provided the aircraft does not go below "minimums" or the MDA until the runway is in sight and the plane is in position for a normal landing. Minimums on that approach to Huntington was 1240 feet msl. For some reason, the pilot elected to go 400 feet lower, and failed to clear the hill off the approach end of the runway.

If he hadn't had the runway in sight, then he should have applied max power, pitched up, and climbed back up to an assigned altitude on a "go-around" or "missed approach" procedure for that runway. From a safe altitude high above the terrain, the pilot's would have then decided to either hold for better weather conditions, initiate another approach or fly to their alternate airport.

This crash, like all CFIT events with commercial aircraft, was very sad and unnecessary .

It was the worse loss of a sports team in a plane crash in history.

Modern jets are now equipped with GPS, and can conduct what is called an RNAV approach, which has an electronic glide path for the pilot to follow, besides the usual ILS. Most approaches still have "minimums" with same proviso...visual contact with the runway or go-around. HTS airport now has ILS and RNAV approaches to both runways as well as approach control radar and the airport has maintained an excellent safety record since the 1970 crash.

CmdrCody



CmdrCody.

Imo you're making a false assumption from the start: indeed the last time we see the interior of the aircraft there is a lightning flash (and there were a few more before iirc), but that is just to show that this flight was on approach in a thunderstorm, or in bad weather anyway.

It's not depicted and is not meant as a lighting struck that caused the aircraft to fall.

Yes...that is right. No thunderstorm was near Huntington during the approach of the Southern Airways jet.

Instead, there was low ceilings and visibility during the approach, which obscured both the airport and the ridge west of the field which the aircraft impacted. As I mentioned, the pilot flying the aircraft elected to go below minimums for the instrument approach without adequate visual reference to the runway.

He crashed a perfectly good airplane full of people into the ridge...a tragic mistake which cost everyone on board their life.

CmdrCody