What happened
During the takeoff roll on runway 30R, an MD-82, registration N954U, collided with a Cessna 441, registration N441KM. At the time of the accident, the Cessna 441 was positioned on the runway awaiting takeoff clearance.
The pilot of the Cessna 441 had received taxi clearance to back-taxi into a position and hold on runway 31. However, acting on the assumption that he would use his arrival runway, runway 30R, for departure, the pilot taxied the aircraft to an intersection on runway 30R. This specific runway had been assigned as the departure path for the MD-82.
At the time of the operation, the ATIS for the Lambert-St. Louis area identified runways 30R and 30L as the active runways for both arrivals and departures; there was no mention of the occasional use of runway 31. Air traffic control personnel lost visual contact with the Cessna after it moved from the well-lit ramp area into the runway and taxiway environment in the northeast portion of the airport.
Findings
Investigation findings indicated that air traffic control personnel were unable to maintain visual contact with the Cessna once it transitioned from the lighted ramp area. The report noted that an operational ASDE-3, specifically one enhanced with AMASS, could have served to supplement the visual scan of the northeast portion of the airport to prevent such an occurrence.