What happened
On the night of the accident, Buffalo Airways flight 721 was performing a scheduled cargo operation traveling from Oklahoma City to Fort Wayne, with intermediate stops in Wichita and Kansas City. While the initial segments of the flight were routine, the crew utilized deviations to navigate around thunderstorms during the leg toward Kansas City. As the aircraft approached the terminal area of Fort Wayne, the controller provided vectors for an ILS approach to runway 1.
During the descent, the first officer transferred control of the aircraft to the captain, in accordance with company regulations regarding low visibility and ceiling conditions. At approximately 21:50, the aircraft was cleared to descend to 2,400 feet. The crew configured the aircraft type/model (not specified by registration) for landing, extending the flaps to 25 degrees and lowering the landing gear. As the flight progressed through the approach, weather conditions at the airport were reported as having a 100-foot ceiling and 1/2 mile visibility due to fog.
The descent became critical when the controller issued a low-altitude alert via the Minimum Safe Altitude Warning system, instructing the crew to check their altitude. Although the captain requested a radar altimeter reading, which indicated 1,200 feet, the crew did not acknowledge the controller's subsequent instruction to climb and maintain 2,400 feet. Shortly after, a crewmember called for an immediate pull-up, but the aircraft struck treetops on a ridge approximately 3 nautical miles from the runway end. The aircraft type/model created a long swath through the trees before the final impact area. There were 4 fatalities in the crash.
Findings
- The accident was caused by the captain's intentional descent below the decision height.
- A breakdown in coordination between the flightcrew prevented the detection that the aircraft had failed to intercept the ILS glideslope.
- The aircraft's GPWS failed to provide a warning regarding the unsafe deviation below the glide path.