Type Beechcraft 1900C Date 19 November 1996 Total fatalities 14 (all) Crew count 2 | Registration N87GL Destination Quincy Regional Airport Total survivors 0 | |
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Site Quincy Regional Airport, Gilmer Township, Adams County, Illinois, near Quincy, Illinois, United States Flight origin Chicago O'Hare International Airport Locations Quincy Regional Airport, Gilmer Township Similar Eastwind Airlines Flight 517, 1975 Tan Son Nhut C‑5 accid, Crossair Flight 498, Continental Express Flight 2574, 1996 Croatia USAF CT | ||
United Express Flight 5925, operated by Great Lakes Airlines with a Beechcraft 1900 twin turboprop, was a regularly scheduled flight from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Quincy, Illinois, with an intermediate stop in Burlington, Iowa.
Contents
On November 19, 1996, the aircraft collided on landing at Quincy with another Beechcraft, a private King Air, that was taking off from an intersecting runway. All occupants of both planes, twelve on board the 1900 and two on board the King Air, were killed as a result.
Synopsis
United Express Flight 5925 had departed from Chicago at 15:25 on November 19, 1996. After a stop at Burlington, Iowa, the flight proceeded to Quincy. Two aircraft at Quincy were ready for departure when Flight 5925 approached. Both a Beechcraft King Air and a Piper Cherokee were proceeding to Runway 04. As Quincy is a non-towered airport, all three aircraft were operating on the same Common Traffic Advisory Frequency. On approach, the United Express crew inquired as to whether the King Air would hold short of the runway, or depart before their arrival. After receiving no response, the United Express crew called again, and received a reply from the Cherokee that they were holding short. However, due to the ground proximity warning system sounding in the 1900's cockpit, only part of the transmission was received by the 1900. Contributing to the cause of the accident was the Cherokee pilot’s interrupted radio transmission, which led to the Beech 1900C pilot’s misunderstanding of the transmission as an indication from the King Air that it would not take off until after Flight 5925 had cleared the runway.
Assuming that both planes were holding, Flight 5925 landed on Runway 13. The King Air, however, had taxied into position on Runway 4, and had begun its takeoff roll when Flight 5925 landed. Both aircraft collided at the intersection of runways 4 and 13. The aircraft skidded for 110 feet (34 m), coming to rest alongside Runway 13, and caught fire. Several pilots in the vicinity of the crash came to the scene, but were unable to open the doors of the aircraft before both planes were destroyed by fire. All 12 aboard the 1900 and both pilots of the King Air perished in the accident.
Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the cause of the accident was the King Air pilots' failure to effectively monitor both the common frequency and to scan for traffic. A contributing factor was the Cherokee's transmission at the same time as the United Express transmission. Lack of adequate rescue and firefighting equipment was cited as a factor in the high fatality rate. The family of one of the King Air pilots disputed the NTSB's findings.
In popular culture
The crash was featured on Season 15 of Mayday (also known as Air Crash Investigation, Air Disasters, and Air Emergency) on January 6, 2016. The episode aired on the National Geographic Channel in Australia and New Zealand and on Discovery Channel Canada in Canada on January 15, 2016 titled "Fatal Transmission". In the United States, the episode premiered on March 5, 2017, on the Smithsonian Channel.