Flight 1420 Case Study

On June 1, 1999 an American Airlines flight carrying 145 people crashed after overrunning the runway while landing at Little Rock International Airport. Flight 1420, a Douglas DC-9-82 was landing in Little Rock after departing from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, this was the last leg of the day for the flight crew. After landing on Runway 4R, Flight 1410 collided with the localizer that was located approximately 410 feet beyond the end of Runway 4R. The aircraft proceeded to break through security fence, the airport flood plain, and collided with the approach lighting system for Runway 22L. While the MD-82 was destroyed on impact, 134 people lived through the crash included the First Officer, Flight Attendants and many passengers. While many factors played into the crash of American Airlines Flight 1420, the National Transportation Safety Board found flight crew performance, decisions in regard to weather operations, and pilot fatigue as contributing factors. American Airlines Flight 1420 was scheduled for departure just prior to 8:30 pm; however, the
On multiple occasions the First Officer made it known that he was feeling uneasy about the flight and the approach, but due to the Captain's persistence to get on the ground as soon as possible, the First Officer slowly began to let his guard down. On multiple occasions both pilots ignored the Standard Operating Procedures put into place by American Airlines, along with legal minimums put into place by the Federal Aviation Administration. Throughout the flight, the communication between Captain and First Officer was at a minimum and the crew did not exhibit any Crew Resource Management skills. While it is unknown if greater communication could have changed the outcome of Flight 1420, open communication could have opened up the possibility of adding a diversion airport to their flight