What happened
During an ILS approach to runway 05 at Birmingham Airport, an aircraft struck several houses. The flight was occurring during a period of active weather, as the crew had been notified of thunderstorms in the vicinity. The pilot had previously received weather briefings in Mobile that correctly predicted thunderstorm activity for the Birmingham area. Additionally, the crew listened to the ATIS information whiskey and xray, which explicitly noted the presence of thunderstorms, and received further confirmation from the approach controller regarding the ongoing weather activity.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating under conditions involving active thunderstorms.
- The flight crew was aware of the weather situation through multiple sources, including pre-flight briefings, ATIS, and air traffic control communications.
- The impact resulted in 13 fatalities among the occupants of the aircraft, while the pilot and one passenger survived the crash.
- There were no injuries reported to individuals on the ground at the time of the impact.