NTSB MEETING: FINAL REPORT ON AMERICAN AIRLINES MD-82 ACCIDENT
AT LITTLE ROCK AIRPORT

The National Transportation Safety Board will consider the final report on the investigation into the crash of an American Airlines MD-82 aircraft at Little Rock, AR, at a public meeting Tuesday, October 23, at 9:30 a.m., in the NTSB’s Board Room/Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC.

AA flight 1420, arriving from Dallas/Fort Worth with 139 passengers and six crewmembers on board, on June 1, 1999, overran the runway at Little Rock airport. The aircraft passed through a chain link fence, went down an embankment and collided with a structure supporting the runway lighting system. The captain and 10 passengers were killed; over 100 others were injured. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and post-crash fire.

Safety issues the Board will examine at this meeting include flight crew performance and decision-making regarding operations in adverse weather conditions, pilot fatigue, aircraft performance, and weather information dissemination.

About one hour after the meeting concludes, an abstract of the final report, containing the Board’s findings, the probable cause(s) of the accident, and safety recommendations, will be available in the Public Affairs Office on the 6th floor of NTSB headquarters. The abstract also will be posted on the NTSB web site (www.ntsb.gov). The full text of the final report will be available on the web site at a later date.

Media Contact: Paul Schlamm, (202) 314-6100