Reality episode 8: Runway Safety: Quincy, IL.

Reality episode 8: Runway Safety: Quincy, IL.
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Reality episode 8: Runway Safety: Quincy, IL.
On 19th November 1996, United Express flight 5925 collided with Beechcraft King Air, as flight 5926, near Quincy, Illinois, at Quincy Municipal Airport. King Air was in the process of taking off on runway 04 while flight 5925 was on runway 13 and it was about to complete its landing roll. The two aircrafts collided at the place where the two runways were intersecting (AOPA, 2014). The two crewmembers and 10 passengers who were on flight 5925 and the other two individuals on King Air died. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, one of the main factors that contributed to this accident was failure by the King Air A90 pilots to monitor effectively the normal traffic advisory frequency. The pilots failed to appropriately scan for traffic and this prompted them to initiate a takeoff roll when flight 5925 was in the process of landing at the intersecting runway.
Another important factor that contributed to this accident was the fact that radio transmission of Cherokee pilot was interrupted. Consequently, Beech 1900C pilots misunderstood the message being transmitted as indicating the King Air will not be taking off before flight 5925 has completed its landing roll (AOPA, 2014). The severe nature of the accident as well as the loss of lives were caused by a number of factors. To start with, firefighting services and aircraft rescue around the airport were insufficient. Second, Beech 1900C’s air stair door malfunctioned as a result of the collision impact and failed to open. All the occupants of this flight were therefore unable to disembark from the aircraft.