FTW85LA098
1985-01-19 · ABILENE, Texas, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport ABI
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
DETERIORATING WX WAS ENCOUNTERED & THE PLT ELECTED TO LAND SHORT OF THE ORIGINAL DESTN. HE WAS PROVIDED VECTORS FOR AN ILS APCH TO RWY 35R AT ABILINE, TX. DURING THE NIGHT APCH, HE ENCOUNTERED STRONG GUSTY WINDS, SEVERE TURBULENCE & RESTRICTED VISIBILITY. THE PLT STATED THAT AT LEAST ONE TIME, THE AIRSPEED DROPPED 20 KTS, INDICATING WIND SHEAR. ALSO, HE STATED THAT AS HE CONTACTED THE TOWER, HE GOT A BRIEF LOOK AT THE ARPT LIGHTS & STARTED A GENTLE TURN TO CORRECT TO THE LOCALIZER. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, AFTER HE WAS CLEARED FOR THE ILS APCH & LANDING, THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND WHILE STILL SOUTH OF THE OUTER MARKER. PRIOR TO THE FLT, THE PLT HAD OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING & WAS WARNED OF WIDE SPREAD CLOUD COVER, GUSTY WINDS & WIND SHEAR ASSOCIATED WITH A PASSING FRONTAL SYS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1985_FTW85LA098.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (wind shear, turbulence). All research papers
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR) An Examination of Aviation Accidents Associated with Turbulence, Wind Shear and Thunderstorm
The focal point of the study reported here was the definition and examination of turbulence, wind shear and thunderstorm in relation to aviation accidents.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Preprint (Draft being sent to journal) Convectively Induced Turbulence Encountered During NASA's Fall-2000 Flight Experiments
Aircraft encounters with atmospheric turbulence are a leading cause of in-flight injuries aboard commercial airliners and cost the airlines millions of dollars each year.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM) Some aspects of wind shear in the upper atmosphere
Hydrodynamic turbulence and wind shear in upper atmosphere
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2019 · Journal article (IJAAA) Low Level Turbulence Detection For Airports
Abstract—— Low level wind shear and turbulence present a serious safety risk to aircraft during the approach, landing and take-off phases.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2018 · Journal article (IJAAA) Evaluating the Effect of Turbulence on Aircraft During Landing and Take-Off Phases
—— Low level wind shear and turbulence present a serious safety risk to aircraft during the approach, landing and take-off phases.
- arXiv 2026 · arXiv preprint Direct Numerical Simulations of Ice-Ocean Boundary Turbulence
Turbulent heat and freshwater transport at ice-ocean interfaces controls glacier and iceberg melt rates, yet the underlying physics remains poorly constrained.