American Airlines Flight 1420 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
American Airlines Flight 1420

N215AA's final position, having overrun the runway and crashed into the runway approach lights
Accident summary
Date	June 1, 1999
Summary	Runway overrun in inclement weather due to pilot error
Place	Little Rock National Airport Little Rock, Arkansas, United States 34°44.18′N 92°11.97′W / 34.73633°N 92.19950°W / 34.73633; -92.19950
Passengers	139
Crew	6
Injuries (non-fatal)	110
Fatalities	11 (9 initially)
Survivors	134 (136 initially)
Aircraft type	McDonnell Douglas MD-82
Airline/user	American Airlines
Registration	N215AA
Flew from	Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Dallas, Texas, United States
Flying to	Little Rock National Airport Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

American Airlines Flight 1420 was a flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Texas to Little Rock National Airport in Arkansas. On June 1, 1999, the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 airplane flying as Flight 1420 went off the end of the runway while landing in Little Rock. It then crashed. Sadly, 9 of the 145 people on board died right away, including the captain and 8 passengers. Two more passengers died later from their injuries.

The Airplane: What Kind Was It?

N215AA, the airplane that crashed, seen at George Bush Intercontinental Airport one year before the accident.

This chart shows where passengers were sitting on Flight 1420 and how they were affected. It was made by the NTSB.

The airplane involved in this accident was a McDonnell Douglas MD-82. Its registration number was N215AA. This type of plane is part of the MD-80 series. It was first given to American Airlines in 1983. The plane had flown for a total of 49,136 hours.

The MD-82 had two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217C jet engines. It also had a special weather radar system. This radar could have trouble seeing through very heavy rain. It also only showed weather directly in front of the plane. This meant the pilots had a limited view of storms around them.

The Flight Crew: Who Was Flying?

The pilot in charge of Flight 1420 was Captain Richard Buschmann, who was 48 years old. He was a very experienced pilot. He had flown for a total of 10,234 hours. Almost half of these hours were flying MD-80 planes. Captain Buschmann had served in the United States Air Force before joining American Airlines in 1979.

The co-pilot, called the first officer, was Michael Origel, age 35. He had been with American Airlines for less than a year. He had 182 hours flying the MD-80. However, he had trained as a pilot in the United States Navy. He also had experience as a corporate pilot. In total, he had 4,292 hours of flight experience.

There were also four flight attendants on board. They had all been trained for the MD-80 plane. They had also recently practiced emergency procedures.

Flight and Weather: What Happened Before the Crash?

Flight 1420 was supposed to leave Dallas at 8:28 pm and arrive in Little Rock at 9:41 pm. Before they even got on the plane, the crew learned that the flight would be delayed. They also heard about severe thunderstorms along their flight path.

The plane they were supposed to use was late arriving in Dallas because of bad weather. The airline then found a different MD-80 plane for Flight 1420. This allowed the flight to finally leave Dallas at 10:40 pm. Pilots have a limit on how long they can work. The first officer told the airline that they could not leave after 11:16 pm.

At 11:04 pm, air traffic controllers warned the flight crew about severe thunderstorms near Little Rock airport. The pilots saw lightning as they got closer. They talked about the weather. But they decided to try and land quickly instead of going to another airport.

Air traffic control first told Flight 1420 to land on runway 22L. At 11:39 pm, a controller warned them about changing winds. Captain Buschmann then asked to switch to Runway 4R. This would give them a headwind for landing, which is safer. The plane was cleared to land on 4R.

Because the plane was already close to the airport, the controller had to guide it away to line up for Runway 4R. This meant Flight 1420 flew away from the airport for a few minutes. During this time, the plane's weather radar, which only looked forward, couldn't see the storms moving towards the airport.

As the plane got closer, a severe thunderstorm hit the airport. At 11:44 pm, the first officer told the controller they couldn't see the runway anymore. The controller then told them they could land on 4R using an instrument landing system (ILS). This system helps pilots land when they can't see the runway.

The pilots felt rushed to land. This led them to make mistakes. They did not finish their pre-landing checklist. This was a very important mistake. They forgot to arm the automatic spoiler system. Spoilers help the plane slow down on the runway. They also forgot to set the plane's automatic braking system. The first officer realized they hadn't set the landing flaps as they got closer to the ground. They quickly set the flaps to 40 degrees for landing.

At 11:49 pm, the controller gave the last weather report before Flight 1420 landed. The winds were very strong and blowing across the runway. These winds were stronger than what the MD-82 was designed to handle for landing on a wet runway with poor visibility. Even with the strong winds and warnings, Captain Buschmann decided to continue the landing.

The Crash: What Went Wrong?

The airplane touched down on Runway 4R at 11:50 pm. About two seconds later, the first officer said, "We're down. We're sliding!" Because the pilots had not armed the automatic spoilers, they did not deploy. The crew also did not deploy them manually.

Spoilers and automatic brakes are very important for stopping a plane on a wet runway, especially in strong winds. Spoilers pop up on the wings. They stop the wings from creating lift and push more of the plane's weight onto the landing gear. If the spoilers had worked, about 65% of the plane's weight would have been on the landing gear. Without them, only 15% of the weight was on the landing gear. This meant the brakes were not effective at slowing the plane down. The plane kept going very fast down the runway.

The plane lost control when Captain Buschmann used too much reverse thrust. This made the plane's rudder and tail less effective. The aircraft went past the end of the runway. It traveled another 800 feet (240 meters). It hit a security fence and then a system of lights that help planes land.

These approach lights are usually designed to break easily if hit. But because these lights were on an unstable river bank, they were strongly anchored. The plane crashed into this strong structure. This crushed the front of the plane and destroyed the left side of the plane's body. The impact broke the airplane into large pieces. It stopped just before the Arkansas River.

Captain Buschmann and 8 passengers died immediately in the crash. Two more passengers died later in the hospital. The first officer, three flight attendants, and 41 passengers were seriously hurt. The remaining flight attendant and 64 passengers had minor injuries. 24 passengers were not hurt at all.

The Investigation: Why Did It Happen?

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the crash. They wanted to find out exactly what happened.

Automatic Spoilers and Brakes: Were They On?

The NTSB looked closely at whether the automatic spoiler and brake systems were turned on by the pilots before landing. They listened to the plane's cockpit voice recorder (CVR). There were no sounds that would happen if the spoilers were armed or deployed automatically. The NTSB did tests with other MD-80 planes. These tests showed that arming the spoilers made a clear clicking sound that could be heard on the CVR.

After this crash, American Airlines changed its checklist for pilots. Now, pilots must confirm that the spoilers are armed for automatic deployment before landing. They also have to check if the spoilers actually deploy. If they don't, pilots must deploy them manually.

Pilot Behavior in Storms: Did Weather Play a Role?

The NTSB also studied how pilots act when flying in bad weather. They wanted to see if the storms affected the pilots' decisions. A study showed that many pilots (67%) flew into thunderstorms when trying to land. The study found that pilots might take more risks if they are behind schedule, landing at night, or if other planes have successfully landed in similar weather.

The lead NTSB investigator, Greg Feith, said he was surprised by this behavior. He thought the pilots might have had "get-there-itis." This means they were very focused on completing their task (landing) because they were close to their 14-hour work limit.

Fatigue: Were the Pilots Tired?

The NTSB report said that fatigue (being very tired) was a factor in the crash. The captain had been awake for 16 hours that day. Research shows that pilots make more mistakes after being awake for 13 hours. The crash happened several hours after both pilots usually went to bed. The first officer said he felt tired that night. A yawn was even heard on the cockpit voice recorder. The report explained that tired people often try the same solution repeatedly without looking for other options.

What Caused the Crash?

On October 23, 2001, the NTSB announced what they believed caused the crash. They said the main reasons were:

• The flight crew did not stop their landing approach even when severe thunderstorms and dangers were at the airport.
• The crew did not make sure the spoilers had extended after landing.

Other things that contributed to the accident were:

• The flight crew's performance was affected by being tired and the stress of trying to land in those conditions.
• They continued to land even though the winds were stronger than the plane's limit for landing.
• They used too much reverse thrust after landing.

Legal Outcomes: What Happened Afterward?

After the crash, many lawsuits were filed. American Airlines "admitted responsibility" for the crash. This means they accepted that they were at fault. They then reached agreements with most of the passengers who were hurt or whose family members died.

In some cases that went to trial, juries awarded money to the injured passengers. For example, three passengers received awards of $5.7 million, $3.4 million, and $4.2 million.

In a separate lawsuit, Captain Buschmann's family sued Little Rock National Airport. A jury decided that the captain's death happened because the plane hit strong, unyielding approach-light supports. These supports were in an area where they should have broken easily if hit. The airport was found to have not followed safety rules. The jury decided that Captain Buschmann was not at fault for his own death.

Even though the jury found the airport partly responsible, the NTSB did not change its official cause of the crash. American Airlines also admitted fault and paid a lot of money to the passengers and their families.

About 10 years after the crash, a lawyer involved in the cases said that people still might disagree on whether Captain Buschmann was completely cleared of fault. However, he stressed that planes should not try to land when thunderstorms are in the way. He also said that strong, unyielding objects should not be placed where a plane might accidentally go.

Aftermath: What Changed?

A memorial ceremony was held near the airport in 2004. A survivor of the crash, Jeana Varnell, attended. However, she was quoted saying she strongly disagreed with honoring Captain Buschmann.

American Airlines still flies to Little Rock from Dallas. Today, they mostly use a smaller plane called an Embraer E170.

In Popular Culture: Where Else Can You See This Story?

• The story of Flight 1420 was shown in an episode of the TV series Mayday. This episode was called "Racing the Storm." It was also part of a Mayday special called "Cruel Skies," which looked at how bad weather causes aviation disasters.
• The Weather Channel told the story of the flight on an episode of Storm Stories.
• The Biography Channel also featured the crash on its show Flightmares.

See also

In Spanish: Vuelo 1420 de American Airlines para niños