2004-11 · NASA ASRS report 636293
B737 FLC EXPERIENCED GAR ATTRIBUTED TO ARR SPACING BEHIND A LNDG CRJ.
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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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