USAir Flight 5050 Accident (N416US)

Flight Operations and Delays USAir Flight 1846, a Boeing 737-401 with registration N416US, was originally scheduled to depart Baltimore/Washington (BWI) at 15:10. Inbound air traffic to New York-LaGuardia (LGA) delayed the takeoff until 19:35. The aircraft held on the taxiway for 1.5 hours and returned to the terminal area for fuel before departing uneventfully. It arrived at LGA Gate 15 at 20:40, where weather and air traffic had caused significant delays and cancellations in the terminal area. The USAir dispatcher initially canceled the Norfolk leg of Flight 1846 and planned to send the aircraft to Charlotte (CLT) without passengers. Minutes later, the dispatcher changed the plan, instructing the crew to carry passengers to Charlotte as USAir Flight 5050. The captain expressed concern that further delays would cause the crew to exceed duty time limitations. During boarding, the captain visited USAir's ground movement control tower to ask about decision-making processes. He returned to the cockpit as the last passengers boarded and the entry door closed. After the jetway was retracted, a passenger service representative asked the captain to reopen the door to board more passengers. The captain refused, and Flight 5050 departed Gate 15 at 22:52.