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| Date: | Tuesday 21 December 1971 |
| Time: | c. 04:50 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing 727-125C |
| Owner/operator: | Eastern Air Lines |
| Registration: | N8168G |
| MSN: | 19851/510 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Incident |
| Location: | Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, GA (ATL/KATL) -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, GA (ATL/KATL) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Eastern Air Lines Flight 9701, a Boeing 727-100, N8168G, was a scheduled cargo flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Atlanta, Georgia. The flight was routine until the aircraft arrived over the outer marker of the instrument landing system serving runway 9R at the William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport.
An instrument landing system approach to Category II minima was initiated with the automatic pilot and approach coupler engaged. The landing flaps were extended to the 30° position when the aircraft passed over the outer marker.
During flap extension, the aircraft deviated from the glide-slope centerline and did not again become stabilized on the glide-slope until it was at an altitude of approximately 800 feet above ground level. At 225 feet above ground level, the aircraft again deviated from the glide slope and began a descent that continued until the landing gear struck the Nos. 18, 17, 16, and 15 bars of the approach light system. The aircraft remained airborne, however, and it was landed successfully on Runway 9R.
Contact with the light system structure ruptured the left main landing gear tires, and caused minor damage to the left wing flaps. The approach light system was rendered inoperative because of substantial damage to the four light bars.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this incident was an unexpected and undetected divergence of the aircraft from the glide-slope centerline induced by a malfunction of the automatic pilot. This divergence occurred at an altitude from which a safe recovery could have been made. However, both the pilot and the first officer were preoccupied at the time with establishing outside visual reference under visibility conditions which precluded adequate altitude assessment from external clues. Consequently, the pilot did not recognize the divergence from the glide-slope in time to avoid contact with the approach lights.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB-AAR-72-22
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Feb-2020 13:59 | harro | Added |
| 26-Feb-2020 14:00 | harro | Updated [Source, Accident report, ] |
| 13-Jan-2025 15:22 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
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