What happened
On a scheduled multi-stop flight traveling from Midway Airport in Chicago toward Miami via Indianapolis and Louisville, Flight 181 was conducting its final approach to Standiford Airport in Louisville. The aircraft, a Convair 440 (implied by context of the era/route), departed Indianapolis on schedule with 31 passengers and a crew of three. During the flight segment, the pilot in command had delegated flying duties to the co-pilot.
While approaching runway 11 under visual flight rules at 5,000 feet, the crew requested landing information and received the local altimeter setting. As the aircraft descended toward the airport, the captain eventually resumed control of the aircraft because it was noted to be too high on the approach path. To correct the altitude, the captain performed a sharp nose-down maneuver while maintaining an airspeed near 100 knots. During this phase, the landing gear was extended and flaps were set to the full down position, but the throttles were pulled back to idle.
As the aircraft reached approximately 100 feet above the runway threshold, the captain attempted to flare the aircraft. However, the rate of descent remained high. The aircraft struck the runway on its main landing gear with significant force. The impact caused the left wing to separate from the fuselage inboard of the engine nacelle, and the plane rolled into an inverted position. A small fire ignited at the wreckage but was suppressed by a passenger using a handheld extinguisher until emergency responders arrived. There were 0 fatalities and no reported injuries among the occupants.
Findings
Investigation into the accident revealed that the primary cause was the captain's improper landing technique, which created an excessive sink rate at touchdown. This high rate of descent placed structural loads on the wing that exceeded its design limits. Specific contributing factors included:
- The approach was initiated from a position that was too high and too close to the runway threshold.
- The combination of low power, specific aircraft configuration, and airspeed led to an unsustainable rate of descent.
- The crew failed to monitor the rate of descent indicator during the critical flare maneuver.