Eastwind Airlines Flight 517
Encyclopedia
Eastwind Airlines
Flight 517 was a scheduled flight from Trenton-Mercer Airport
in Trenton, New Jersey
to Richmond International Airport
in Richmond, Virginia
. The crew lost rudder control but successfully landed on June 9, 1996. No casualties occurred and one flight attendant
suffered only minor injuries. No damage occurred to the airplane as a result of the incident.
The crew of the Boeing 737-200 under the command of captain Brian Bishop experienced loss of rudder control while on approach to Richmond. At the time of the event the airplane's airspeed was about 250 knots and at it was flying at an altitude of about 4,000 feet MSL. The crew experienced unexpected movement of the rudder, causing the airplane to roll to the right. They applied opposite aileron input to keep the plane from rolling over and thirty seconds later the plane righted itself back to leveled flight. As the crew performed the emergency checklist, the plane again rolled over to the right. After another thirty seconds the plane snapped back to leveled flight. The crew declared an emergency and landed safely in Richmond. Investigation of this incident would later help solve two other accidents, United Airlines Flight 585
and USAir Flight 427
.
It was later reported that the airplane previously had problems with uncommanded rudder deflections. These reports consisted of "rudder bumps" during departure and a lack of proper trim.
The flight was reenacted, along with United Airlines Flight 585
and USAir Flight 427
, in the episode "Hidden Danger" of the TV series Mayday
and National Geographic Channel
's Air Emergency episode, Deadly Components, first aired on May 12, 2008.
Eastwind Airlines
Eastwind Airlines was a start-up airline formed in mid-1995 and headquartered in Trenton, New Jersey, United States, and later in Greensboro, North Carolina. Jim McNally, a former Price Waterhouse analyst who had headed that firm's recovery teams when several other airlines sought management and...
Flight 517 was a scheduled flight from Trenton-Mercer Airport
Trenton-Mercer Airport
Trenton-Mercer Airport , formerly known as Mercer County Airport, is a public airport located in Ewing, New Jersey, four miles northwest of the central business district of Trenton, a city in Mercer County, New Jersey...
in Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
to Richmond International Airport
Richmond International Airport
- Accidents and incidents :*In 1996, Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 from Trenton experienced loss of rudder control while on approach to Richmond, however rudder control was regained shortly after and the aircraft landed normally. There was one minor injury....
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. The crew lost rudder control but successfully landed on June 9, 1996. No casualties occurred and one flight attendant
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
suffered only minor injuries. No damage occurred to the airplane as a result of the incident.
The crew of the Boeing 737-200 under the command of captain Brian Bishop experienced loss of rudder control while on approach to Richmond. At the time of the event the airplane's airspeed was about 250 knots and at it was flying at an altitude of about 4,000 feet MSL. The crew experienced unexpected movement of the rudder, causing the airplane to roll to the right. They applied opposite aileron input to keep the plane from rolling over and thirty seconds later the plane righted itself back to leveled flight. As the crew performed the emergency checklist, the plane again rolled over to the right. After another thirty seconds the plane snapped back to leveled flight. The crew declared an emergency and landed safely in Richmond. Investigation of this incident would later help solve two other accidents, United Airlines Flight 585
United Airlines Flight 585
United Airlines Flight 585 was a scheduled domestic passenger airline flight from the now-decommissioned Stapleton International Airport in Denver to Colorado Springs Municipal Airport in Colorado Springs, Colorado....
and USAir Flight 427
USAir Flight 427
US Air Flight 427 was a scheduled flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Pittsburgh, with a final destination of West Palm Beach, Florida...
.
It was later reported that the airplane previously had problems with uncommanded rudder deflections. These reports consisted of "rudder bumps" during departure and a lack of proper trim.
The flight was reenacted, along with United Airlines Flight 585
United Airlines Flight 585
United Airlines Flight 585 was a scheduled domestic passenger airline flight from the now-decommissioned Stapleton International Airport in Denver to Colorado Springs Municipal Airport in Colorado Springs, Colorado....
and USAir Flight 427
USAir Flight 427
US Air Flight 427 was a scheduled flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Pittsburgh, with a final destination of West Palm Beach, Florida...
, in the episode "Hidden Danger" of the TV series Mayday
Mayday (TV series)
Mayday, also known as Air Crash Investigation in the United Kingdom, Australia and Asia and Air Emergency and Air Disasters in the United States, is a Canadian documentary television programme produced by Cineflix investigating air crashes, near-crashes and other disasters...
and National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
's Air Emergency episode, Deadly Components, first aired on May 12, 2008.