What happened
On June 1, 1999, at 23:50:44 CDT, American Airlines flight 1420, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) registered as N215AA, crashed following an overrun of runway 4R at Little Rock National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas. The flight had departed from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, at approximately 22:40 carrying 2 flight crewmembers, 4 flight attendants, and 139 passengers under instrument flight rules (IFR).
The aircraft touched down at 23:50:20. Upon exiting the end of the runway, the airplane struck several tubes from the instrument landing system (ILS) localizer array located 411 feet beyond the runway threshold. The aircraft then passed through a chain-link security fence and crossed a rock embankment into a floodplain situated roughly 15 feet below the runway elevation. Finally, the plane collided with the structure supporting the runway 22L approach lighting system.
The accident resulted in 11 fatalities, including the captain and 10 passengers. Among the remaining occupants, the first officer, 4 flight attendants, and 105 passengers sustained serious or minor injuries, while 24 passengers were not injured. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire.