JETSTREAM BA-3100 near HIBBING, Minnesota — 1993-12-02
- Date
- 1993-12-02
- Location
- HIBBING, Minnesota, USA
- Aircraft
- JETSTREAM BA-3100
- Registration
- N334PX
- Category
- Airplane
Probable cause
THE CAPTAIN'S ACTIONS THAT LED TO A BREAKDOWN IN CREW COORDINATION AND THE LOSS OF ALTITUDE AWARENESS BY THE FLIGHTCREW DURING AN UNSTABILIZED APPROACH IN NIGHT INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE FAILURE OF THE COMPANY MANAGEMENT TO ADEQUATELY ADDRESS THE PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED DEFICIENCIES IN AIRMANSHIP AND CREW RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OF THE CAPTAIN; THE FAILURE OF THE COMPANY TO IDENTIFY AND CORRECT A WIDESPREAD, UNAPPROVED PRACTICE DURING INSTRUMENT APPROACH PROCEDURES; AND THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION'S INADEQUATE SURVEILLANCE AND OVERSIGHT OF THE AIR CARRIER. (NTSB REPORT AAR-94/05)
NTSB narrative
On the night of December 1, 1993, a British Aerospace Jetstream BA-3100 twin turboprop crashed into a wooded hillside during a non-precision localizer backcourse approach to Runway 13 at Hibbing, Minnesota. The crew of two and all 16 passengers were killed. Conditions were night IMC with overcast ceilings at 400 feet, light freezing drizzle, light snow, and reported light to moderate mixed icing in the clouds. The captain delayed descent to avoid prolonged exposure to icing, then initiated an aggressive slam-dunk descent from approximately 1,200 feet above the proper altitude at the final approach fix, producing descent rates up to 3,000 feet per minute in an unstabilized approach with no autopilot installed.