What happened
On the evening of the accident, USAir Flight 1016, a DC-9, was operating a domestic flight from Columbia, South Carolina, to Charlotte, North Carolina. The flight departed on schedule, with the first officer acting as the flying pilot. During the approach to Charlotte, the flightcrew observed thunderstorm cells on their weather radar and requested a heading change to avoid heavy precipitation. As the aircraft progressed through the approach phase, the crew was navigating through weather conditions involving rain and thunderstorms.
While on final approach, the aircraft encountered significant wind fluctuations. The tower controller had issued a windshear alert prior to the event. During the approach, the crew experienced a sudden change in wind velocity. At approximately 18:41, the crew noted a significant increase in airspeed, prompting the initiation of a go-around procedure. During this missed approach, the aircraft's engines were not set to the required thrust levels for a standard go-around, and the nose pitch was reduced to a downward attitude before the crew could react to the changing conditions.
As the aircraft was transitioning its flaps from 40 to 15 degrees, it encountered a severe windshear event. The aircraft experienced a rapid shift from a strong headwind of approximately 35 knots to a tailwind of 26 knots within a 14-second window. This represented a total wind change of 61 knots. The DC-9 subsequently stalled and struck the ground at 18:42:35, resulting in all fatalities on board.
Findings
- The aircraft encountered a severe windshear event characterized by a rapid transition from a headwind to a tailwind.
- The flightcrew failed to maintain the necessary thrust levels required for a standard go-around.
- The aircraft's onboard windshear warning system failed to activate during the encounter.
- The crew was unaware of the most recent weather observations because the updated ATIS had not yet been broadcast.