TWA Flight 514



N54328, the aircraft involved in the accident

Accident
Date: December 1, 1974; 11:09:22 am EST
Summary: Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) due to pilot error and ATC error
Site: Mount Weather, Clarke County, Virginia, U.S.
Coordinates: 39°04.6′N 77°52.9′W

Aircraft
Aircraft type: Boeing 727-231
Operator: Trans World Airlines
Registration: N54328
Flight origin: Indianapolis International Airport, Indianapolis, Indiana
Stopover: Port Columbus International Airport, Columbus, Ohio
Destination: Washington Dulles International Airport, diverted from Washington National Airport
Occupants: 92
Passengers: 85
Crew: 7
Fatalities: 92
Survivors: 0

Trans World Airlines Flight 514, registration N54328, was a Boeing 727-231 en route from Indianapolis, Indiana and Columbus, Ohio to Washington Dulles International that crashed into Mount Weather, Virginia, on Sunday, December 1, 1974. All 92 aboard, 85 passengers and seven crew members, were killed. In stormy conditions late in the morning, the aircraft was in controlled flight and impacted a low mountain 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) northwest of its revised destination.

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The flight was scheduled for Washington National Airport, but was diverted to Dulles when high crosswinds, east at 28 knots (32 mph; 52 km/h) and gusting to 49 knots (56 mph; 91 km/h), prevented safe operations on the main north–south runway at Washington National. The flight was being vectored for a non-precision instrument approach to runway 12 at Dulles. Air traffic controllers cleared the flight down to 7,000 feet (2,130 m) before clearing them for the approach while not on a published segment.

The jetliner began a descent to 1,800 feet (550 m), shown on the first checkpoint for the published approach. The cockpit voice recorder later indicated there was some confusion in the cockpit over whether they were still under a radar-controlled approach segment which would allow them to descend safely. After reaching 1,800 feet (550 m) there were some 100-to-200-foot (30 to 60 m) altitude deviations which the flight crew discussed as encountering heavy downdrafts and reduced visibility in snow.

The plane impacted the west slope of Mount Weather at 1,670 feet (510 m) above sea level at approximately 230 knots (265 mph; 425 km/h). The wreckage was contained within an area about 900 by 200 feet (275 by 60 m). The evidence of first impact were trees sheared off about 70 feet (20 m) above the ground; the elevation at the base of the trees was 1,650 feet (505 m).

The wreckage path was oriented along a line 118 degrees magnetic. Calculations indicated that the left wing went down about six degrees as the aircraft passed through the trees and the aircraft was descending at an angle of about one degree. After about 500 feet (150 m) of travel through the trees, it struck a rock outcropping at an elevation of about 1,675 feet (510 m). Numerous heavy components of the aircraft were thrown forward of the outcropping, and numerous intense post-impact fires broke out which were later extinguished. The mountain's summit is at 1,754 feet (535 m) above sea level.

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