Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254

1990 mid-air collision

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254
Accident
Date	April 9, 1990
Summary	Mid-air collision
Site	Gadsden, Alabama, United States 33°58′37.57″N 86°5′41.55″W / 33.9771028°N 86.0948750°W / 33.9771028; -86.0948750
Total fatalities	2
Total survivors	7
First aircraft
N217AS, the EMB-120 involved in the collision, in March 1989.
Type	Embraer 120RT Brasilia
Operator	Atlantic Southeast Airlines
IATA flight No.	EV2254
ICAO flight No.	ASQ2254
Call sign	ACEY 2254
Registration	N217AS
Flight origin	Northwest Alabama Regional Airport; Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Stopover	Northeast Alabama Regional Airport; Gadsden, Alabama
Destination	Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport; Atlanta, Georgia
Occupants	7
Passengers	4
Crew	3
Fatalities	0
Survivors	7
Second aircraft
N429CP, the aircraft similar to the one involved
Type	Cessna 172
Operator	Civil Air Patrol
Registration	N99501
Flight origin	Northeast Alabama Regional Airport; Gadsden, Alabama
Destination	Northeast Alabama Regional Airport; Gadsden, Alabama
Occupants	2
Passengers	1
Crew	1
Fatalities	2

On April 9, 1990, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254, a scheduled passenger flight from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to Gadsden, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, was involved in a mid-air collision with a Cessna 172 over Gadsden. The collision resulted in the death of the pilot and passenger of the Cessna 172.

Aircraft

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254 was operated under 14 CFR 135 with an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia (registration N217AS).

The second aircraft was a Cessna 172 (registration N99501), operated by two Civil Air Patrol pilots.

Accident

Flight 2254 departed Muscle Shoals, Alabama, en route to Atlanta with a scheduled intermediate stop at the Northeast Alabama Regional Airport in Gadsden, Alabama. 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.

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

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Transportation Safety Board.

^ "Commuter Aircraft Collides with Cessna Plane, Two Dead". Daily News. Kingsport, Tennessee. April 11, 1990. p. 1. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
^ "Aviation Accident Final Report". National Transportation Safety Board. March 5, 1993. ATL90FA095A. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
"FAA Registry (N217AS)". Federal Aviation Administration.
"FAA Registry (N99501)". Federal Aviation Administration.
^ "Commuter Plane, Cessna in Air Collision". Spokane Chronicle. April 10, 1990. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
"Brief of Accident; N99501; April 9, 1990; NTSB ID ATL90FA095B". National Transportation Safety Board. ATL90FA095B. Retrieved January 24, 2020.

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1990 (1990)
Jan 13 Aeroflot Flight 6246Jan 16 SANSA Flight 32Jan 25 Avianca Flight 052Feb 11 British Army Gazelle shootdownFeb 14 Indian Airlines Flight 605Apr 9 Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254Apr 12 Widerøe Flight 839Apr 30 RAF Shackleton crashMay 11 Philippine Airlines Flight 143May 18 Aerolift Philippines Flight 075Jun 10 British Airways Flight 5390Aug 1 Aeroflot Flight E-35DAug 2 British Airways Flight 149Aug 27 Stevie Ray Vaughan helicopter crashSep 11 Faucett Perú Boeing 727 disappearanceOct 2 Guangzhou Baiyun airport collisionsNov 14 Alitalia Flight 404Nov 21 Bangkok Airways Flight 125Dec 3 Wayne County Airport runway collisionDec 6 Italian Air Force MB-326 crash
1989 ◄ ► 1991

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1990 (1990)

Jan 13 Aeroflot Flight 6246Jan 16 SANSA Flight 32Jan 25 Avianca Flight 052Feb 11 British Army Gazelle shootdownFeb 14 Indian Airlines Flight 605Apr 9 Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254Apr 12 Widerøe Flight 839Apr 30 RAF Shackleton crashMay 11 Philippine Airlines Flight 143May 18 Aerolift Philippines Flight 075Jun 10 British Airways Flight 5390Aug 1 Aeroflot Flight E-35DAug 2 British Airways Flight 149Aug 27 Stevie Ray Vaughan helicopter crashSep 11 Faucett Perú Boeing 727 disappearanceOct 2 Guangzhou Baiyun airport collisionsNov 14 Alitalia Flight 404Nov 21 Bangkok Airways Flight 125Dec 3 Wayne County Airport runway collisionDec 6 Italian Air Force MB-326 crash

1989 ◄ ► 1991

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States and U.S. territories in the 1990s
1990	Northwest Airlines Flight 5 (January 4 1990) Avianca Flight 052 (January 25 1990) Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254 (April 1990) Death of Stevie Ray Vaughan (August 1990) Wayne County Airport runway collision (December 1990)
1991	Los Angeles Airport runway collision (February 1 1991) Ryan International Airlines Flight 590 (February 17 1991) United Airlines Flight 585 (March 1991) Merion air disaster (April 4 1991) Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 (April 5 1991) L'Express Airlines Flight 508 (July 1991) Continental Express Flight 2574 (September 1991) Vallejo helicopter crash (October 1991)
1992	CommutAir Flight 4821 (January 1992) Air Transport International Flight 805 (February 1992) USAir Flight 405 (March 1992) American Eagle Flight 5456 (June 7 1992)* GP Express Airlines Flight 861 (June 8 1992) TWA Flight 843 (July 1992)
1993	Lufthansa Flight 592 (February 1993) Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 46E (March 1993) Alan Kulwicki plane crash (April 1 1993) China Eastern Airlines Flight 583 (April 6 1993) American Airlines Flight 102 (April 14 1993) American International Airways Flight 808 (August 1993)* Northwest Airlink Flight 5719 (December 1993)
1994	United Express Flight 6291 (January 1994) Green Ramp disaster (March 1994) Federal Express Flight 705 (April 1994) Fairchild Air Force Base B-52 crash (June 1994) USAir Flight 1016 (July 1994) USAir Flight 427 (September 1994) American Eagle Flight 4184 (October 1994) TWA Flight 427 (November 1994) Flagship Airlines Flight 3379 (December 1994)
1995	Air Transport International Flight 782 (February 1995) Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 (August 1995) Alaska Boeing E-3 Sentry accident (September 1995) American Airlines Flight 1572 (November 1995) Tower Air Flight 41 (December 1995)
1996	ValuJet Flight 592 (May 1996) Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 (June 1996) Delta Air Lines Flight 1288 (July 6 1996) TWA Flight 800 (July 17 1996) FedEx Express Flight 1406 (September 1996) Quincy Airport disaster (November 1996) Airborne Express Flight 827 (December 22 1996) New Hampshire Learjet crash (December 24 1996)
1997	Comair Flight 3272 (January 1997) FedEx Express Flight 14 (July 1997) Korean Air Flight 801 (August 6 1997)* Fine Air Flight 101 (August 7 1997) John Denver (October 1997)
1998	United Airlines Flight 863 (June 1998)
1999	American Airlines Flight 1420 (June 1999) Martha's Vineyard plane crash (July 1999) South Dakota Learjet crash (October 1999)
This list is incomplete. An asterisk (*) denotes an incident that took place in either a U.S. territory or Guantanamo Bay. 1980–1989 ◄ 1990–1999 ► 2000–2009

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