Incident Overview

Date: Wednesday 31 March 1971
Aircraft Type: Boeing 720-047B
Owner/operator: Western Air Lines
Registration Number: N3166
Location: Ontario International Airport, CA (ONT) – ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: Approach
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Component Affected: Aircraft rudder hydraulic actuator support fittingAircraft rudder hydraulic actuator support fitting
Investigating Agency: NTSBNTSB
Category: Accident
A 3-engine missed ILS approach resulted in loss of control, leading to a crash. A rudder hydraulic actuator fitting failure caused the loss of left rudder control, exacerbated by degraded external visual conditions.A 3-engine missed ILS approach resulted in loss of control, leading to a crash. A rudder hydraulic actuator fitting failure caused the loss of left rudder control, exacerbated by degraded external visual conditions.

Description

Control was lost during a 3-engine missed ILS approach procedure and the aircraft crashed. Failure of the aircraft rudder hydraulic actuator support fitting led to the loss of left rudder control. The loss of control situation was worsened by the degraded external visual clues (600 feet overcast; 1200 m visibility in fog haze and smoke). PROBABLE CAUSE: “The failure of the aircraft rudder hydraulic actuator support fitting. The failure of the fitting resulted in the inapparent loss of left rudder control which, under the conditions of the flight, precluded the pilots’ ability to maintain directional control during a simulated engine-out missed-approach. The existing weather conditions degraded external visual cues, thereby hampering rapid assessment of aircraft performance by the flight check captain.”

Primary Cause

Failure of the aircraft rudder hydraulic actuator support fitting.Failure of the aircraft rudder hydraulic actuator support fitting.

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