Serious incident Boeing 737-490 N792AS,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 352382
 
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Date:Tuesday 2 November 1999
Time:07:40 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic B734 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Boeing 737-490
Owner/operator:Alaska Airlines
Registration: N792AS
MSN: 28887/2903
Total airframe hrs:8788 hours
Engine model:CFMI CFM-56-3C-1
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 58
Aircraft damage: None
Category:Serious incident
Location:Juneau International Airport, AK (JNU/PAJN) -   United States of America
Phase: Landing
Nature:Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:Sitka, AK (PASI)
Destination airport:Juneau International Airport, AK (JNU/PAJN)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The scheduled passenger flight was inbound for landing during the period of dawn. A cargo airplane was also inbound, preceding the passenger flight. The airport air traffic control tower (ATCT) was closed. An automated flight service station (AFSS) was in operation. AFSS personnel cannot see the runway. An airport maintenance crew was conducting snow removal training on the runway in a plow equipped truck. The passenger flight crew contacted the AFSS at the VOR (25.2 miles away), and advised they were inbound for landing. At that time, the plow was off the runway, waiting for the cargo airplane to arrive. The crew of the passenger airplane was not advised of any airfield maintenance activity. After the cargo airplane landed, the plow driver informed the AFSS of his intentions, and drove onto the runway to continue training. AFSS personnel advised the driver of the plow that the passenger airplane was about 10 minutes behind the cargo airplane. Without any further communication, the passenger flight touched down on the runway while the plow was driving along the right edge of the runway, facing away from the arriving jet. The passenger jet swerved to the left during the roll out to miss the plow truck. The right wing tip of the jet passed about 32 feet from the plow truck. The verbal report of men and equipment on the runway, given by the plow driver to the AFSS is a local NOTAM only. The local NOTAM was not transmitted to the arriving passenger flight. When the ATCT is closed, there are no mandatory reporting points for arriving airplanes. There are only recommended traffic advisories for position reporting of arriving traffic. The recommended traffic advisories are contained in the company flight operations manual.

Probable Cause: The failure of the flight crew to provide a recommended landing traffic advisory, and the failure of flight service station personnel to provide a flight advisory to the arriving airplane concerning men and equipment operating on the runway.
Factors in the incident were operations at an airport when the control tower was closed, and the failure of the snow plow driver to verify the eminent arrival of the airplane.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: ANC00IA010
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 6 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB ANC00IA010

History of this aircraft

Other occurrences involving this aircraft
1 February 2009 N792AS Alaska Airlines 0 Sitka Airport, AK (SIT/PASI) min
Lightningstrike
10 February 2023 TF-BBL Bluebird Cargo 0 Near Paris Charles-de-Gaulle AD non

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
07-Mar-2024 12:43 ASN Update Bot Added
07-Mar-2024 13:27 ASN Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Nature, Destination airport, Narrative]

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

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