Continental Airlines ( a COLGAN ) plane involved is similar to this aircraftNTSB last briefing:
NASA video teaches dangers of tailplane icing
NTSB previus briefing:
Investigators have gathered evidence that pilot commands not a build up of ice on the wings and tail.
The flight data recorders show that the flight was routine until roughly a minute before impact, when the crew lowered the landing gear and extended the flaps.
Almost immediately, the airspeed bled off and the stick-shaker activated, followed by a stick-pusher that automatically lowered the nose. It appears the captain pulled back on the stick with enough force to overpower the pusher and added power, causing a 31-degree pitch-up. The wings immediately stalled, and the airplane whipped to the left, then entered a steep right turn. The pilots continued to fight with the controls, and they were starting to recover when they "ran out of altitude.
NTSB previous briefing:
The crew got a stall warning and the stick pusher engaged but still the aircraft pitched upward 31 degrees before turning almost 180 degrees and dropping onto a house near the outer marker for Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The sequence of events, which included a 45-degree dive with a 106-degree right bank ended 26 seconds later.
The aircraft's anti-icing system had been ON for most of the flight and, while both pilots discussed the "significant" icing their aircraft was experiencing, at no time did they use the "severe icing" descriptor that is the official notification of flight-threatening buildup.
"They [the crew] didn't say that it was severe icing....The weatherman didn't say that it was severe icing."
The last radar hit showed the aircraft with a forward speed of only 100 knots and it lost 800 feet in five seconds.
The autopilot was ON for part of the sequence and the engines were set to full power just before impact.
NTSB previous briefing:
Crew briefed ILS approach to runway 23 in Buffalo and discussed visibility 3 miles, snow and mist at 16000, visibility hazy so requested 12000 shortly after cleared to 11000, FDR showed airframe de-ice selected ON, followed by a cockpit discussion of significant ice on windshield and leading edge of wings.
Final events timeline:
End-of-recording minus 1 min: landing gear selected down
End-of-recording minus 40 secs: flaps 15 selected
"within seconds of flap selection": "series of severe pitch and roll excursions"
"shortly after that": crew attempted to raise flaps and gear "just before the end of the recording"
Last moments of Flight 3407 (many other ATC-Flights transmissions have been left out)
Transcript of communications with Air Traffic Control February 13, 2009
MINUTES:SECONDS
4:38 - ATC: colgan 3 40 7 proceed direct to TRAVA
4:58 - ATC: colgan 3 40 7 descend and maintain 6,000
8:39 - ATC: colgan 3 40 7 descend and maintain 5,000
8:40 - 3407: 5,000 for colgan 3 40 7
9:09 - ATC: colgan 3 40 7 descend and maintain 4,000
12:14 - ATC: colgan 3 40 7 descend and maintain 2,300
12:19 - 3 40 7
12:39 - ATC: colgan 3 40 7 turn left heading 330
12:42 - 3407: left heading 330 colgan 3 40 7
14:04 - ATC: colgan 3 40 7 turn left heading 310
14:07 - 3407: left heading 310, colgan 3 40 7
15:08 - ATC: colgan 3 40 7 3 miles from KLUMP turn left heading 260? maintain 2300 till established localizer and cleared ils runway 23
15:17 - 3407: left 260, 2,300 til established and cleared ils 23 approach, colgan 3 40 7
16:02 - ATC: colgan 3 40 7 contact tower 120.5 have a good day
16:08 - 3407: colgan 3407
17:01 - ATC: colgan 3 40 7, approach
17:22 - ATC: colgan 3 40 7, Buffalo
17:24 - ATC: colgan 3 40 7, approach
17:33 - ATC: DELTA 1998, look out ur left side about 5 miles for a dash 8, should be 2300 feet, see anything there?
17:40 - DELTA 1998: uh! negative, DELTA 1998, we're just in the bottoms and nothing on the TCAS
17:48 - ATC: Colgan 3 40 7, Buffalo
20:12 - ATC: Colgan 3 40 7, Buffalo tower, how do you hear?
20:27 - ATC: this is ground communication, I need to talk to someone at least 5 miles NorthEast, OK possibly clearance, that area right there, akron area, either state police or sheriff's department, I need to find if anything's on the ground. This aircraft was 5 miles out and all of a sudden we have no response from that aircraft
20:46 - ???: all I can tell you is that aircraft over the marker and we're not talking to them now
20:52 - ???: k
21:04 - ATC: Delta 1998, you getting any icing where you're at?
21:05 - Delta 1998: uh, we're picking up on the way down - I dont think we're building anymore here, but about uh 6500 down to 3500 maybe?
21:13 - ATC: thank you sir
21:17 - ATC: Delta 1998, there's gonna be a delay, I'm gonna bring you back around, expect a hold over KLUMP
21:22 - Delta 1998: alright we'll expect a hold over KLUMP, delta 1998
21:46 - apparently we have an emergency sir, I'll get back to you as soon as I can
23:57 - ATC: for all aircraft, this frequency - we have a Dash-8 over the marker that didn't make the airport. he appears about 5 miles away from the airport. delta 1998, I'm gonna bring you in sir, on the approach. um! if you could just give me a fire up when you get to 2300 and if you have any problems with the localizer or anything, let me know - however we're showing it all in the green here.
24:22 - 1998: will do
24:45 - ATC: Delta 1998, 6 miles from KLUMP maintain 2300 until established on a localizer, clear to ILS approach runway 23
24:54 - delta 1998: ILS 23 and we're still in the imc here, 2300 DELTA 1998
25:00 - atc: are you getting any kind of icing or anything there?
25:03 - DELTA 1998: uhh! It doesn't appear to be building, we have a 1/2..1/4 inch from the descent that has remained this whole time
25:11 - atc: thank you
25:13 - ATC: Cactus 1452 turn right heading 220 to intercept LOCALIZER
25:18 - cactus 1452 intercept LOCALIZER cactus 1452 and we've been picking up ground lights here for the last or 10 minutes
25:25 - atc: okay, stand by right for our ice report
25:36 - atc: who was that?
25:39 - cactus 1452: '52 sir, we've been getting ice since about 20 miles south of the airport
25:46 - atc: - cactus 1452 OK, if you can let me know when you get out of the icing, aircraft coming up from the south was reporting that earlier
25:25 - atc: DELTA 1998, if you could, just disregard the auto land sir, contact 120.5 just let him know if you have any variation in the LOCALIZER or anything
26:34 - DELTA 1998: -5 OK, DELTA 1998, thanks
27:05 - ???? ...any kind of information you can get, we'd appreciate it
27:12 - ???? sir, right now, 2300 seems pretty clear here
28:05 - atc: cactus 14 52, thanks for your help, we appreciate it, contact tower 130.5
28:12 - cactus: ..5 for cactus - did you find Colgan?
28:14 - atc: uhhhh! unfortunately they said he went down right over the marker KLUMP
29:17 - cactus 14 52: tower, cactus 14 52 is coming up on the marker, we saw the ground, you guys know whats going on?
29:24 - tower: cactus 14 52, Buffalo tower 126.15 going right 23, you are clear to land, yes sir, we are aware
29:29 - cactus 1452: k
Weather
METAR
KBUF 130454Z 26014KT 3SM -SN BR SCT011 OVC021 01/00 A2983 RMK AO2 SLP109 P0004 T00060000 401060000=
Dia 13 23:54 Local (-5 horas em relação a Greenwich), Vento de 260 graus com 14 Knots, Visibilidade 4956 metros, Neve leve, Névoa úmida, Primeira camada de nuvens ESPARSAS a 1100 pés, segunda camada de nuvens ENCOBERTA a 2100 pés, temperatura 1 grau positivo, temperatura do Ponto de orvalho 0(zero) grau, Ajuste do altímetro 29.83 polegadas de Hg, Observação: AO2 = o sitio da observação tem sensores AUTOMATIZADOS de precipitação, Pressão ao Nível do Mar 109
KBUF 130354Z 24011KT 3SM -SN BR SCT011 OVC021 01/M01 A2981 RMK AO2 SLP103 P0002 T00061006=
KBUF 130254Z 24015G22KT 3SM -SN BR FEW011 BKN021 OVC027 01/M01 A2979 RMK AO2 SLP097 P0001 60004 T00061006 51015=
KBUF 130154Z 24015G23KT 3SM -SN BR FEW011 OVC021 01/M01 A2978=
-SN = Neve Leve
Click on pictures for Closer view
