In Remembrance
Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 (a McDonnell Douglas DC-9) crashed three miles from Charlotte Douglas International Airport around 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 11, 1974. Seventy-two people onboard died and 10 survived.
The flight from Charleston Municipal Airport had a scheduled stop in Charlotte before flying to Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
A National Transportation Safety Board investigation determined multiple crew errors were the primary cause of the accident.
As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration implemented the Sterile Cockpit rule in 1981, banning all non-essential activities in the cockpit during crucial parts of a flight. It forbids pilots from talking about anything unrelated to the flight on departures, landings and below 10,000 feet.
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USAir Flight 1016 originating from Columbia Metropolitan Airport on July 2, 1994, encountered heavy thunderstorms and microburst-induced windshear while attempting to land at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 crashed into heavy trees and a private residence near the Airport, resulting in 37 fatalities and seriously injuring 20 others.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigation concluded a microburst generated by the thunderstorm over the Airport at the time of the crash was the probable cause of the accident.
USAir Flight 1016 led to improvements in aviation safety, including better pilot training and wind shear detection equipment.
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At 8:47 a.m. EST on Jan. 8, 2003, Air Midwest flight 5481 (operating as US Airways Express) stalled and crashed into an aircraft maintenance hangar shortly after taking off from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) runway 18R. The Beechcraft 1900-D, N233YV, was on a regularly scheduled flight to Greenville-Spartanburg Airport in Greer, S.C. All 21 individuals on board were killed, including two flight crew members and 19 passengers. One person on the ground sustained minor injuries.
A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident report concluded that the aircraft experienced a loss of pitch during takeoff due to incorrect rigging of the plane’s elevator control system done during a maintenance check two days prior at the airline’s Huntington, W.V., maintenance station. This was exacerbated by an excessive aft (rear) center of gravity caused by the uneven weight and distribution of passengers and baggage.
In the aftermath of the crash, the NTSB made numerous recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration, resulting in revised standards for calculating standard passenger and carry-on bag weights. Airlines can now utilize actual weights instead of averages, particularly on smaller cabin aircraft. The NTSB report also called for increased oversight of maintenance practices and personnel.
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