NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DCA88MA017
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATING AS CONTINENTAL EXPRESS FLIGHT 2286. DURING THE APPROACH IN IFR CONDITIONS, THE AIRCRAFT WENT BELOW THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE THEN STRUCK THE TERRAIN AT 7180 FEET MSL. EXAM OF THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT DISCLOSE ANY PRE-IMPACT FAILURES OR SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS. THE EVIDENCE INDICATED THAT THE COPILOT WAS FLYING THE AIRPLANE DURING THE APPROACH. EVALUATION OF THE RADAR DATA SHOWED AN EXCESSIVE RATE OF DESCENT BEFORE THE COLLISION WITH TERRAIN. POST- MORTEM TOXICOLOGICAL EXAMINATION SHOWED THAT THE CAPTAIN HAD USED COCAINE PRIOR TO THIS FLIGHT. THE SAFTEY BOARD CONCLUDED THAT THIS USE HAD ADVERSLY AFFECTED HIS ABILITY TO MONITOR THE UNSTABILIZED APPROACH FLOWN BY THE COPILOT. RECORDS OF BOTH CREWMEMBERS REVEALED PRIOR TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS AND ACCIDENTS, AND, IN THE CASE OF THE CAPTAIN, A PREVIOUS AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT. EVALUATION OF THE WEATHER CONDITIONS INDICATED THAT A 10 TO 15 KNOT TAILWIND CONDITION EXISTED THROUGHOUT THE APPROACH. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1988_DCA88MA017.txt.
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Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (unstabilized approach). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2023 · Conference paper
Utilizing Deep Learning to Predict Unstabilized Approaches for General Aviation Aircraft
Unstabilized approaches pose a major hazard for general aviation aircraft. In the period from 2009 to 2019, 3,257 general aviation accidents occurred during the landing phase of flight in which loss o…
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Reports 2014 · Accident report
Crash during a Nighttime Nonprecision Instrument Approach — UPS 1354
UPS Flight 1354 (A300-600F) Birmingham AL, August 14, 2013. Investigation of UPS 1354 crash short of runway 18 at Birmingham.
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