TWA Flight 553

Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 553 was a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 jet airliner, registration N1063T, operated by Trans World Airlines in American airspace en route from Pittsburgh to Dayton. While descending toward Dayton about 29 miles from the airport, the flight collided in midair with a Beechcraft Baron (a small general-aviation airplane) near Urbana, Ohio, on March 9, 1967. All 25 people on board the DC-9 were killed, as was the pilot of the Beechcraft, its sole occupant.[1]

TWA Flight 553
Accident
DateMarch 9, 1967
SummaryMid-air collision
SiteConcord Township, Champaign County, near Urbana, Ohio
40°11′49″N 83°48′46″W
Total fatalities26
Total survivors0
First aircraft

A DC-9-15 of Trans World Airlines similar to the aircraft involved
TypeMcDonnell Douglas DC-9-15
OperatorTrans World Airlines
RegistrationN1063T
Occupants25
Passengers21
Crew4
Fatalities25 (all)
Survivors0
Second aircraft

A Beechcraft Baron 55 similar to the aircraft involved
TypeBeechcraft Baron 55
OperatorPrivate
RegistrationN6127V
Occupants1
Passengers0
Crew1
Fatalities1 (all)
Survivors0

Summary

Flight 553 departed from Greater Pittsburgh Airport en route to Dayton Municipal Airport. After passing Columbus, Ohio, Flight 553 had been cleared to descend from Flight Level (FL) 200 (about 20,000 feet (6,000 m) above sea level) to 3,000 feet (900 m). The flight was in uncontrolled airspace, but being handled by Dayton radar approach control, who advised them of uncontrolled VFR traffic ahead and slightly to the right, and one mile away, about 18 seconds before the collision. The crew acknowledged the traffic advisory. As the airliner descended through 4,500 feet (1,400 m) at a speed of 323 knots on a southwest heading, it collided with the smaller craft, a southbound Beechcraft Baron 55.[2] The front right side of the DC-9 hit the left side of the Beechcraft. Both aircraft fell to earth in Concord Township, a rural area northwest of the city of Urbana in Champaign County. The collision was just northeast of the intersection of Melody Lane and Woodville Pike.[1]

Cause

Visual flight rules (VFR) were in effect at the time of the accident, meaning it was the responsibility of the pilots on both aircraft to "see and avoid" each other. In addition, the radar controller stated that he did not see the Beechcraft on his radar scope until 22 seconds before the crash. Controllers testified that the zone near the crash site was a zone where small planes could be difficult to detect on radar, but flight checks in the area proved inconclusive.[1]

The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the accident and determined that due to the high rate of descent of the DC-9, its pilots were not able to see the other plane in time to avoid a collision. Weather conditions included widely scattered, thin clouds, with haze reducing visibility to 6 to 7 miles (10 to 11 km), twice the 3-mile (5 km) visibility required for VFR flight.[1]

Aftermath

Since 1961, FAR Part 91.85 had mandated speed restrictions below 10,000 feet (3,000 m) within 30 nautical miles of a destination airport (the result of a previous midair collision), but after this accident, all areas below 10,000 feet (3,000 m) were prohibited from exceeding 250 knots (460 km/h; 290 mph) IAS. It also contributed to the Federal Aviation Administration's decision to create terminal control areas or TCAs (now called Class B airspace) around the busiest airports in the country. The airspace around Dayton did not become a TCA, undergoing only minor changes until it was reclassified as Class C airspace in the late 1980s.

References

  1. "AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT. TRANS WORLD AIRLINES INC., DOUGLAS DC-9, TANN COMPANY BEECHCRAFT BARRON B-55 IN-FLIGHT COLLISION NEAR URBANA, OHIO, MARCH 9, 1967" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. June 19, 1968. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  2. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-9-15 N1063T Urbana, OH". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
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