Narrative:Flight 12 departed New York at 06:14 EST and Windsor Locks at 07:35 while on a cargo flight to Boston. The aircraft was on a runway 04R ILS approach when the nose suddenly pitched downward about 60 degrees, causing the aircraft to crash out of control, 7000 feet short of the runway threshold.
Weather reported to the flight was: scattered clouds 400 feet, ceiling 700 feet overcast, visibility 1,5 miles in moderate sleet and fog. While descending through 3000 feet, the crew had requested a lower altitude because of moderate to heavy rime ice being encountered.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Loss of balancing forces on the horizontal surface of the empennage of the aircraft, due to ice accretion, causing the aircraft to pitch nose down at an altitude too low to effect recovery."
Classification:
Icing
Loss of control
Sources:
» ICAO Aircraft Accident Digest No.16, Circular 82-AN/69 (97-102)
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Windsor Locks-Bradley International Airport, CT to Boston-Logan International Airport, MA as the crow flies is 145 km (91 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.