Incident Overview

Date: Sunday 28 October 1973
Aircraft Type: Boeing 737-222
Owner/operator: Piedmont Airlines
Registration Number: N751N
Location: Greensboro/High Point Airport, NC (GSO) – ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Substantial, repaired
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 96
Component Affected: Landing gearsLanding gears
Investigating Agency: NTSBNTSB
Category: Accident
A Piedmont Airlines Boeing 737-200 aircraft experienced a ground impact accident at Greensboro-High Point Airport, North Carolina. The aircraft ran off the end of runway 14 after landing, resulting in four injuries, including three passengers and one flight attendant. The aircraft’s ILS approach was initiated at a faster-than-normal airspeed, exceeding the designated approach end of the runway. Dynamic hydroplaning caused by heavy rain conditions led to the collapse of the landing gears. Contributing factors included an unstabilized downwind approach, a long, fast touchdown on a downslope runway, and delayed deployment of the automatic spoilers. The failure of the crew to deploy the spoilers manually is considered a contributing factor.A Piedmont Airlines Boeing 737-200 aircraft experienced a ground impact accident at Greensboro-High Point Airport, North Carolina. The aircraft ran off the end of runway 14 after landing, resulting in four injuries, including three passengers and one flight attendant. The aircraft’s ILS approach was initiated at a faster-than-normal airspeed, exceeding the designated approach end of the runway. Dynamic hydroplaning caused by heavy rain conditions led to the collapse of the landing gears. Contributing factors included an unstabilized downwind approach, a long, fast touchdown on a downslope runway, and delayed deployment of the automatic spoilers. The failure of the crew to deploy the spoilers manually is considered a contributing factor.

Description

Piedmont Airlines Flight 20, a Boeing 737-200, ran off the end of runway 14 after landing at the Greensboro-High Point Airport, North Carolina. There were 92 passengers and 4 crewmembers aboard; 4 passengers and 1 flight attendant were injured slightly. Flight 20 made an ILS approach to runway 14 and touched down at a faster-than-normal airspeed 2,600 feet beyond the approach end of the runway, during heavy rain showers. The aircraft ran off the end of the runway, and the three landing gears collapsed as the aircraft crossed a service road, 640 feet beyond the runway. Probable Cause: “The probable cause of this accident was ineffective braking action caused by dynamic hydroplaning on a rain-flooded runway. Additional factors which contributed to the accident were: (1) An unstabilized downwind approach; (2) a relatively long, fast touchdown on a downsloping runway; (3) delayed deployment of the automatic spoilers; and, (4) failure of the crew to deploy the spoilers manually.”

Primary Cause

Dynamic hydroplaning on a rain-flooded runway.Dynamic hydroplaning on a rain-flooded runway.

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