Southwest Airlines Flight 1248
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| Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||
| Date | December 8, 2005 | ||
| Type | Possible weather-related overrun | ||
| Accident site | Midway Airport, Chicago, Illinois |
||
| Fatalities | 1 (not aboard aircraft) | ||
| Injuries | 10 | ||
| Aircraft | |||
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-7H4 | ||
| Operator | Southwest Airlines | ||
| Tail number | N471WN | ||
| Passengers | 98 | ||
| Crew | 5 | ||
| Survivors | 103 | ||
Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 was a scheduled passenger flight from Baltimore-Washington International Airport in Baltimore, Maryland to Midway Airport in southwest Chicago, Illinois.
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December 8, 2005 accident
On Thursday, December 8, 2005, Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 was scheduled to touch down at Midway Airport from Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and then continue on to Las Vegas McCarran International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport. The flight circled over a small area in northwest Indiana several times before attempting to land in a snowstorm. The snowstorm had reduced visibility to one-quarter to one-half mile visibility. [1] At around 7:15 pm CST, the pilot attempted a landing with nearly eight inches of snow being on the ground in the area. However, airport officials have stated that the runway was cleared of snow at the time of landing. The latest reported weather had the wind from between east and east-southeast (100°) at 11 knots. This would normally favor landing on runway 13C. The runway visual range was reported at 4,500'. This is below the minimums for the instrument landing system approach on runway 13C. The only available ILS runway with a lower minimum was landing opposite direction on 31C. The plane would however be landing with a tailwind. [2]
A preliminary report issued by the NTSB has determined that the aircraft touched down with 4,500 feet of the 6,522-foot runway remaining; however, under the conditions at the time, the aircraft needed 5,300 feet of runway to stop safely. [3]
The plane skidded during landing, after the nosegear collapsed, and crashed into a barrier wall surrounding the airport, stopping on S. Central Avenue just south of the 55th Street intersection, at the north-western edge of the airport, which was full of traffic. At least three cars were hit, and one fatality, a six-year-old boy, was reported. Five critically injured occupants of one car (two adults, three children) plus four stable seriously injured occupants of a second car were taken to hospitals. One of the cars hit was parked and unoccupied. Three passengers from the plane were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. Twelve people were taken to hospitals after the incident. This is the first fatal accident involving a Southwest Airlines aircraft in the 35-year history of the company.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-700 with tail number N471WN, was delivered to Southwest in July 2004. As a "Next Generation" model, the plane was equipped with the latest anti-skid and braking technology.
The National Transportation Safety Board was reported to be investigating, and Chicago's Fire Department Commissioner Cortez Trotter said the plane would not be removed from the intersection until the NTSB gave clearance to do so following its on-site investigation. The nose of the aircraft was hoisted onto a flatbed tractor trailer on Saturday, December 10, and the plane was towed to a hangar for continued inspection.
It is now standard for any new runway to have a 1000 foot long clear area, called a 'runway safety area' past each end, to allow additional space for an aircraft that overruns the runway to be safely stopped. As Midway was constructed before these rules were put in place, it does not have this safety area. The accident has brought up discussions for the possible need for an Engineered Materials Arrestor System at Chicago Midway, given the lack of adequate overrun areas, and the surrounding residential neighborhoods.
The accident occurred thirty-three years to the day after United Airlines Flight 533 also crashed attempting to land at Midway Airport in low visibility. That flight had many more fatalities.
Though the fatality did not involve a passenger, Southwest followed the tradition of retiring flight numbers involved in fatality crashes; current flights from Baltimore to Chicago departing at or around 1555 hours now carry the designation Flight 1885.
See also
Similar accidents
References
- “Boy killed after plane skids off runway,” CNN, December 8, 2005.
- “Boy Killed After Plane Skids Off Runway,” Associated Press, December 8, 2005.
- “Airplane's nose gear breaks off in crash,” Chicago Tribune, December 8, 2005.
- “Boy dies as jet skids off runway,” BBC, December 8, 2005.
