What happened
During an arrival period characterized by heavy traffic, two aircraft were cleared for visual approaches to parallel runways. The first, a Boeing 727 operated by Reeve flight 7<0xA0>26, landed on runway 06L at approximately 15:57. Shortly thereafter, Wilburs flight 304, a Cessna 402B with registration N969JW, was proceeding toward runway 06R.
As the Cessna 402B crossed the runway threshold at an altitude of roughly 100 feet, it encountered wake turbulence generated by the preceding heavy aircraft. This encounter caused the plane to roll sharply to the right by more than 90 degrees. Although the pilot attempted to recover using power and aileron inputs, the aircraft could not regain sufficient altitude and struck the ground. The incident resulted in five injuries among the occupants.
Findings
The investigation identified several contributing factors related to air traffic control and operational procedures. While the runway centerlines were separated by 700 feet, the thresholds were offset by 4,600 feet. Calculations indicated that vortices from the landing Boeing 727 could have drifted into the path of the second aircraft in as little as 28 seconds.
Key findings included:
- The approach controller failed to notify either flight regarding the other's position.
- The tower controller did not issue a wake turbulence advisory to the pilot of N969JW.
- The incident occurred during dusk under light conditions.
- Existing FAA guidelines for wake turbulence advisories on parallel runways with less than 2,500 feet separation did not specifically address the risks posed by offset thresholds.