| Date: | Monday 9 April 1990 |
| Time: | 18:05 |
| Type: |  Embraer EMB-120RT Brasilia |
| Owner/operator: | Delta Connection, opb Atlantic Southeast Airlines - ASA |
| Registration: | N217AS |
| MSN: | 120011 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1985 |
| Engine model: | P&W Canada PW118 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7 |
| Other fatalities: | 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial, repaired |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 4 km from Gadsden Municipal Airport, AL (GAD) -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Gadsden Municipal Airport, AL (GAD/KGAD) |
| Atlanta-William B. Hartsfield International Airport, GA (ATL/KATL) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During departure from runway 24 with an IFR clearance, an Atlantic Southeast Airlines Embraer EMB-120, N217AS, entered a left turn to a heading of east and climbed to an assigned altitude of 5000 feet msl. Before radar contact was established with atc, the EMB-120 converged with a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 172, n99501. The cessna was heading westbound toward the setting sun. Subsequently, a head-on collision occurred about 2-1/2 mi south of the airport. During impact, the right horizontal stabilizer of the EMB-120 separated from the a/c, but it continued flying to a safe landing. The Cessna, however, entered an uncontroled descent and crashed.
The crew of the EMB-120 reported that they saw the Cessna moments before impact. The captain said he took immediate evasive action by 'pushing' the nose down, but was unable to avoid a collision.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "Inadequate visual lookout by the pilots of both aircraft, which resulted in their failure to see-and-avoid oncoming traffic. A factor related to the accident was: the sun's glare, which restricted the vision of the Cessna 172 pilot."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Apr-2025 11:09 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, ] |
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