ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15RC N565PC Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport, OH (CLE)
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Sunday 17 February 1991
Time:00:19
Type:Silhouette image of generic DC91 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15RC
Operator:Ryan International Airlines
Registration: N565PC
MSN: 47240/346
First flight: 1968
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7B
Crew:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport, OH (CLE) (   United States of America)
Crash site elevation: 241 m (791 feet) amsl
Phase: Takeoff (TOF)
Nature:Cargo
Departure airport:Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport, OH (CLE/KCLE), United States of America
Destination airport:Indianapolis International Airport, IN (IND/KIND), United States of America
Flightnumber: 590
Narrative:
Ryan Flight 590 landed at Cleveland at 23:44 and taxied to the mail ramp. Snow (dry and blowing) fell throughout the 35 minutes that the DC-9 was on the ground. The de-icing service was not requested during this period. Clearance to taxi to runway 23 was received at 00:09. Takeoff clearance was given at 00:18.
The aircraft stalled during takeoff and rolled 90° at 50-100 feet. The airplane then suffered compressor stalls, the left wing contacted the runway and the aircraft cart wheeled. The DC-9 came to rest inverted 6500 feet from the threshold.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The failure of the flight crew to detect and remove ice contamination on the airplane's wings, which was largely a result of a lack of appropriate response by the Federal Aviation Administration, Douglas Aircraft Company, and Ryan International Airlines to the known effect that a minute amount of contamination has on the stall characteristics of the DC-9 series 10 airplane. The ice contamination led to wing stall and loss of control during the attempted takeoff."

Accident investigation:

cover
Investigating agency: NTSB
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 272 days (9 months)
Accident number: NTSB/AAR-91-09
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Icing
Loss of control

Sources:
» Airport Operations Vol.19, No.6 (Nov/Dec 1993) / Flight Safety Foundation
» ICAO Adrep 2/93 (#45)
» ICAO Adrep 4/94 (#99)
» NTSB/AAR-91/09


Follow-up / safety actions

NTSB issued 6 Safety Recommendations

Show all...

Photos

photo of DC-9-15RC-N9351
accident date: 17-02-1991
type: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15RC
registration: N9351
 

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport, OH to Indianapolis International Airport, IN as the crow flies is 417 km (261 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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DC-9-10

  • 147 built
  • 16th loss
  • 10th fatal accident
  • 10th worst accident (at the time)
  • 13th worst accident (currently)
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