What happened
On the night of the accident, a USAir Boeing 737-401, registered N416US, experienced significant delays due to heavy air traffic and weather at New York-LaGuardia (LGA). Originally scheduled to depart Baltimore/Washington (BWI) as flight 1846, the aircraft was delayed for several hours, necessitating a return to the terminal for refueling. Following a change in flight plans by the dispatcher, the aircraft was re-designated as flight 5050, traveling from LGA to Charlotte (CLT).
During the taxi phase, the crew received instructions to hold short of taxiway Golf Golf, which the captain failed to follow. As the aircraft prepared for takeoff, the first officer was performing his first unsupervised line takeoff in the Boeing 737-400. During the pre-takeoff checklist, a mistake occurred regarding the stabilizer trim settings. As the takeoff roll commenced, the first officer manually advanced the throttles after the autothrottle failed to engage. The aircraft began drifting toward the left side of the runway. To maintain the centerline, the captain utilized the nosewheel steering tiller, which caused a loud noise and vibration due to the cockpit's mechanical strain.
At approximately 23:20:58, the captain decided to abort the takeoff roll. While using differential braking and steering to stop, the aircraft failed to remain on the runway surface. The plane crossed the end of the runway at a ground speed of 34 knots, impacting a wooden approach light pier. The impact caused the aircraft to break into three sections and plunge into the East River. The accident resulted in 2 fatalities among the passengers due to the structural collapse of the cabin floor.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that the primary cause was the captain's failure to use his command authority effectively, either by failing to reject the takeoff in a timely manner or failing to maintain sufficient control during the roll, which had been initiated with an improperly trimmed rudder. Additionally, the captain failed to identify the rudder trim error before attempting the takeoff. A concurring statement also noted that the airline's failure to provide a sufficiently experienced flight crew served as a contributing factor.