On April 9, 1990, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254, a scheduled

passenger flight An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in which ...

from

Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the populati ...

, to

Gadsden, Alabama Gadsden is a city in and the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located on the Coosa River about northeast of Birmingham and southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan ...

, to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, was involved in a mid-air collision with a

Cessna 172 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.

over Gadsden. The collision resulted in the death of the pilot and passenger of the Cessna 172.

Aircraft

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) was a regional U.S. airline based in the A-Tech Center in College Park, Georgia, flying to 144 destinations as a Delta Connection carrier on behalf of Delta Air Lines via a code sharing agreement and, as of ...

Flight 2254 was operated under 14 CFR 135 with an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia ( registration '). The second aircraft was a

Cessna 172 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.

(registration '), operated by two

Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded mem ...

pilots.

Accident

Flight 2254 departed

, en route to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

with a scheduled intermediate stop at the

Northeast Alabama Regional Airport Northeast Alabama Regional Airport is five miles southwest of Gadsden, in Etowah County, Alabama. It is owned by Gadsden Airport Authority and it used to be Gadsden Municipal Airport. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2 ...

. The flight from Muscle Shoals to Gadsden was without incident. Flight 2254 departed Gadsden from Runway 24, with Captain William Query (56) and First Officer Quentin Haynes at the controls. The aircraft turned left toward the east along its intended flight path to Atlanta, climbing toward an assigned altitude of 5,000 feet. The Cessna 172 was westbound at the same altitude, facing the setting sun. The two aircraft collided at approximately 6:05 p.m.

Central Daylight Time The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, some Caribbean Islands, and part of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind Coordinate ...

. As a result of the head-on collision, Flight 2254's right

horizontal stabilizer A tailplane, also known as a horizontal stabiliser, is a small lifting surface located on the tail (empennage) behind the main lifting surfaces of a fixed-wing aircraft as well as other non-fixed-wing aircraft such as helicopters and gyroplan ...

was torn from the aircraft. Though significantly damaged, Flight 2254 managed to return to the airport with no injuries to occupants. The Cessna 172 crashed into a field, resulting in fatal injuries to both occupants. The ASA crew reported afterward that they saw the Cessna moments before impact, and that the captain attempted evasive action by pushing the nose down, but was unable to avoid the collision. An eyewitness who saw the collision did not report any evasive maneuvers by either aircraft prior to the accident.

Probable cause

The probable cause of the crash was attributed by the NTSB to be "inadequate visual lookout by the pilots of both aircraft, which resulted in their failure to see and avoid oncoming traffic. A factor related to the accident was the sun's glare, which restricted the vision of the Cessna 172 pilot."

References

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1990 Mid-air collisions Mid-air collisions involving airliners Mid-air collisions involving general aviation aircraft Accidents and incidents involving the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia Airliner accidents and incidents in Alabama Aviation accidents and incidents in Alabama Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1990 2254 Disasters in Alabama Gadsden, Alabama 1990 in Alabama April 1990 events in the United States

Aircraft

Accident

Probable cause

See also

References