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Bombardier DHC-8-400

"Photo of accident airplane Bombardier DHC-8-400, N200WQ Photo copyright Eric Trum - used with permission"
Photo of accident airplane Bombardier DHC-8-400, N200WQ
Photo copyright Eric Trum - used with permission

Colgan Air Flight 3407, N200WQ

Clarence Center, New York

February 12, 2009

On February 12, 2009, Colgan Air, a regional air carrier, was operating a Bombardier DHC-8-400 turboprop (Q-400) as Continental Connection 3407 from Newark, New Jersey to Buffalo, New York. The aircraft experienced an aerodynamic stall on a straight-in, night instrument approach and impacted a house five miles from the Buffalo-Niagara Airport.

As the aircraft approached Buffalo, New York, the plane was initially travelling too high and too fast, requiring deceleration in order to intercept the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and glideslope. In order to slow down the aircraft to meet the outer marker, the flight crew lowered the landing gear, applied drag, and reduced thrust, causing the aircraft to continue to decelerate. As a result of continuing airspeed decay, the stick shaker and stick pusher activated. The captain did not increase airspeed and did not respond correctly to the stall warnings, overriding them both. Instead, he applied incorrect control input by pulling the yoke full aft, placing the aircraft into a full aerodynamic wing stall from which recovery was impossible. The ground impact killed the two pilots, an off-duty pilot, two flight attendants, and 44 passengers onboard, as well as one person on the ground.

Last updated: Monday, December 19, 2022