Texas International Airlines Flight 655
Encyclopedia
Texas International Airlines
Flight 655, registration N94230, was a Convair 600 en route from Memphis
, Tennessee
, to Dallas
, Texas
via Pine Bluff
, Arkansas
; El Dorado
, and Texarkana that crashed into Black Fork Mountain
, Arkansas on the night of September 27, 1973. The 8 passengers and 3 crewmembers were killed.
staff and another set of pilots about a line of thunderstorms 35 nm
to the west. After confirming there was a 15 nm wide break in the storm the crew departed at night under visual flight rules (VFR)
. After departing El Dorado no contact was made with any controllers en route. When the plane was overdue at Texarkana search and rescue was notified. Despite an extensive search along the proposed route of flight no wreckage was found. A controller at the Fort Worth air traffic control center advised the searchers that he had observed an unidentified VFR target departing El Dorado to the northwest before the plane went missing. With this information the wreckage was found after 3 days of searching. There were no survivors.
The cockpit voice recorder later revealed the First Officer was flying the plane while the Captain advised him of headings and altitudes to take to navigate around the storm. The Captain deviated the plane 100 nm to the north in an attempt to go around it. The First Officer expressed concern that he did not know their position and what the terrain clearance was for the area. After the Captain ordered him to descend to 2,000 feet he consulted an en route instrument chart. He alerted the captain they were too low saying, "Minimum en route altitude here is forty-four hun . . ." At that point the recorder cut off as the plane impacted Black Fork Mountain.
The NTSB investigation concluded that the crew did not discuss the details of their intended route with Flight Service or activate the instrument flight rules (IFR)
flight plan
forwarded from the airline dispatch to Flight Service. If they had been operating under instrument flight rules they would have been radar tracked or required to make position reports to air traffic control
en route. Under visual flight rules they would only need to maintain contact with a controller while in controlled airspace
. In this area of rural Arkansas there was no controlled airspace below 18,000 feet. Further according to Federal Aviation Regulations
the airline dispatcher should have been notified the flight was proceeding VFR. The Captain also could have contacted controllers in Fort Worth to open their flight plan or receive radar vectoring in the area. From the conversation of the crew on the recorder the board concluded the flight encountered instrument weather conditions during the flight and was likely in instrument weather conditions when it crashed. The board concluded that the cause of the accident was the Captain's decision to continue flying into instrument weather at night. Also not taking advantage of the nearby navigational aids to get a fix on their position. Lastly his decision to descend despite the First Officer's concerns about position and terrain. In the coming years, FAA regulations pertaining to commercial flights would require that all airliners operate only on instrument flight plans when passengers are carried. This rule has undoubtedly contributed much to the safety of airline travel, as flights under those rules specify altitudes and routes that must be followed and that have been predetermined to provide terrain clearance.
Texas International Airlines
Texas International Airlines was a United States airline, known from 1944 until 1947 as Aviation Enterprises, until 1969 as Trans-Texas Airways, and as Texas International Airlines until 1982, when it merged with Continental Airlines. It was headquartered near William P...
Flight 655, registration N94230, was a Convair 600 en route from Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, to Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
via Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
; El Dorado
El Dorado, Arkansas
El Dorado , a multi-cultural arts center: South Arkansas Arts Center , an award-winning renovated downtown, and numerous sporting, shopping, and dining opportunities. El Dorado is the population, cultural, and business center of the 7,300 mi² regional area...
, and Texarkana that crashed into Black Fork Mountain
Black Fork Mountain Wilderness
Black Fork Mountain Wilderness is located in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. Created by an act of Congress in 1984, the wilderness covers an area of 13,139 acres . Contained within Ouachita National Forest, the wilderness is managed by the U.S...
, Arkansas on the night of September 27, 1973. The 8 passengers and 3 crewmembers were killed.
Events
While the plane was on the ground in El Dorado the crew consulted with Flight Service StationFlight service station
A Flight Service Station is an air traffic facility that provides information and services to aircraft pilots before, during, and after flights, but unlike air traffic control , is not responsible for giving instructions or clearances or providing separation...
staff and another set of pilots about a line of thunderstorms 35 nm
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
to the west. After confirming there was a 15 nm wide break in the storm the crew departed at night under visual flight rules (VFR)
Visual flight rules
Visual flight rules are a set of regulations which allow a pilot to operate an aircraft in weather conditions generally clear enough to allow the pilot to see where the aircraft is going. Specifically, the weather must be better than basic VFR weather minimums, as specified in the rules of the...
. After departing El Dorado no contact was made with any controllers en route. When the plane was overdue at Texarkana search and rescue was notified. Despite an extensive search along the proposed route of flight no wreckage was found. A controller at the Fort Worth air traffic control center advised the searchers that he had observed an unidentified VFR target departing El Dorado to the northwest before the plane went missing. With this information the wreckage was found after 3 days of searching. There were no survivors.
The cockpit voice recorder later revealed the First Officer was flying the plane while the Captain advised him of headings and altitudes to take to navigate around the storm. The Captain deviated the plane 100 nm to the north in an attempt to go around it. The First Officer expressed concern that he did not know their position and what the terrain clearance was for the area. After the Captain ordered him to descend to 2,000 feet he consulted an en route instrument chart. He alerted the captain they were too low saying, "Minimum en route altitude here is forty-four hun . . ." At that point the recorder cut off as the plane impacted Black Fork Mountain.
The NTSB investigation concluded that the crew did not discuss the details of their intended route with Flight Service or activate the instrument flight rules (IFR)
Instrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....
flight plan
Flight plan
Flight plans are documents filed by pilots or a Flight Dispatcher with the local Civil Aviation Authority prior to departure...
forwarded from the airline dispatch to Flight Service. If they had been operating under instrument flight rules they would have been radar tracked or required to make position reports to air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
en route. Under visual flight rules they would only need to maintain contact with a controller while in controlled airspace
Controlled airspace
Controlled airspace is an aviation term used to describe airspace in which ATChas the authority to control air traffic, the level of which varies with the different classes of airspace. Controlled airspace is established mainly for three different reasons:...
. In this area of rural Arkansas there was no controlled airspace below 18,000 feet. Further according to Federal Aviation Regulations
Federal Aviation Regulations
The Federal Aviation Regulations, or FARs, are rules prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration governing all aviation activities in the United States. The FARs are part of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations...
the airline dispatcher should have been notified the flight was proceeding VFR. The Captain also could have contacted controllers in Fort Worth to open their flight plan or receive radar vectoring in the area. From the conversation of the crew on the recorder the board concluded the flight encountered instrument weather conditions during the flight and was likely in instrument weather conditions when it crashed. The board concluded that the cause of the accident was the Captain's decision to continue flying into instrument weather at night. Also not taking advantage of the nearby navigational aids to get a fix on their position. Lastly his decision to descend despite the First Officer's concerns about position and terrain. In the coming years, FAA regulations pertaining to commercial flights would require that all airliners operate only on instrument flight plans when passengers are carried. This rule has undoubtedly contributed much to the safety of airline travel, as flights under those rules specify altitudes and routes that must be followed and that have been predetermined to provide terrain clearance.