Accident · 2019-03-04
What the record says
- Event date
- 2019-03-04
- Event type
- Accident
- Highest injury level
- Minor injury
- Aircraft
- Embraer EMB145 (N14171)
- Operating rule
- Part 121
- Operator
- Commutair Operator named in NTSB report
- Operated by (per NTSB report)
- Commutair
Probable cause
The flight crew’s decision, due to confirmation bias, to continue the descent below the decision altitude when the runway had not been positively identified. Contributing to the accident were (1) the first officer’s fatigue, which exacerbated his confirmation bias, and (2) the failure of CommutAir pilots who had observed the localizer misalignment to report it to the company and air traffic before the accident.
Source: NTSB case DCA19FA089Flight crew
Certification and experience as recorded in the NTSB accident database for this event. The NTSB records these facts about the crew's flying history; GroundCheck shows them as filed, without names or identities.
| Role | Certificate | Instrument rating | Age | Medical | Flight hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot pilot flying | Airline transport pilot | Airplane | 40 | Class 1 (2018-05-10) | 5,655 total · 1,044 in this make/model |
| Co-pilot pilot flying | Airline transport pilot | Airplane | 51 | Class 1 (2018-10-09) | 4,909 total · 470 in this make/model |
Facts as the NTSB records them — GroundCheck adds no judgement. Preliminary records may be revised as the investigation proceeds.