NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DCA89IA071
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE FLIGHTCREW'S FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY PREPARE FOR AND EXECUTE A NONPRECISION APPROACH AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT PREMATURE DESCENT BELOW MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT WAS THE INADEQUATE AND DEFICIENT SERVICES PROVIDED TO THE FLIGHTCREW BY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL PERSONNEL.
Factual narrative
DURING A LOCALIZER BACK COURSE APPROACH TO RWY 27 THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH FOUR ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION CABLES, LOCATED 75 FT AGL, APRX 7,000 FT SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. THE CREW EXECUTED A MISSED APCH & LANDED UNEVENTFULLY IN SALINA, KS. THE SAFETY BOARD FOUND THAT THE CREW DID NOT ADEQUATELY REVIEW APCH CHARTS. FIRST OFFICER MISIDENTIFIED LIGHTS ON GROUND WHICH INFLUENCED CAPT'S SUBSEQUENT MISIDENTIFICATION. ATC FAILED TO PROVIDE ACCURATE WX TO THE CREW, FAILED TO VECTOR THE AIRPLANE TO JOIN THE LOCALIZER OUTSIDE THE FINAL APCH FIX AND COMMITTED OTHER ERRORS IN HANDLING THE FLIGHT. AN FAA INSPECTOR, CONDUCTING AN EN ROUTE INSPECTION OF THE FLIGHT, DID NOT INFORM THE CREW OF THE ERRORS THEY WERE COMMITTING IN THE PLANNING AND EXECUTION OF THE APCH. CREW DID NOT EXECUTE MISSED APPROACH WHEN THEY ENCOUNTERED FULL-SCALE LOCALIZER DEFLECTION INSIDE THE FINAL APCH FIX. (NTSB/AAR-90/04) Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_DCA89IA071.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
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