The aircraft accident I am reporting on is USAir flight 405. The crash of USAir flight 405 is like most aircraft accidents in that there were several contributing factors that led up to the accident. This report deals with procedures and pilot error that were deemed by the NTSB to be inadequate and/or improper. The adverse weather conditions, deicing procedures, take off procedures and take off delays were all contributing factors that led up to the take off stall in icing conditions that resulted in the fatal crash of flight 405. The captain, one cabin crew and 25 passengers received fatal injuries. There were 22 passengers, one cabin crew and the first officer that survived the accident. The survival of the first officer, cabin crew and passengers provided important first hand accident data.
On Sunday March 22, 1992 about 9:35 eastern standard time, a Fokker 28-4000 series, tail number 485 uniform sierra, crashed during an attempted take off from runway one three at La Guardia Airport in Flushing, New York. The weather observations at La Guardia during the time of the accident were instrument meteorological conditions which included 700 foot obscured ceilings, visibility ¾ mile, light snow and fog, wind 070 at 13 knots, temperature 31 degrees F., dewpoint30 degrees F., altimeter 29.67, runway visual range 6,000 feet plus, drifting snow, wet snow, snow increasing one inch in the past hour, and one inch on the ground.
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