1. INVESTIGATION
1.1 History of the Flight
Southern Airways Charter Flight 932 (SOU 932)[1] was scheduled as a ferry flight from Atlanta, Georgia, to Kinston, North Carolina, to return members of the Marshall University football team, the coaching staff, and other passengers to Huntington, West Virginia, from Kinston. The flight was then scheduled to continue to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Alexandria and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The crew consisted of a captain, a first officer, and two stewardesses. In addition, an operations employee was assigned as a charter coordinator.
The flightcrew was given a standard briefing by company dispatch and a charter kit of appropriate documents including: (1) Jeppesen Manuals for high and low altitude airways, and approach charts for all major and military airports in the U.S.; (2) the current Airman's Information Manual, Part I, II, and III; (3) a complete set of Sectional Aeronautical Charts; and (4) all the necessary flight forms of cargo loading, weight and balance, flight planning, daily inspections and maintenance, and credit cards. In addition, a copy of the Southern DC-9 off-line airport restrictions was carried by the charter coordinator, and another copy was kept on each aircraft. The stewardesses and charter coordinator boarded the aircraft with the flightcrew at Atlanta and the aircraft was ferried to Kinston.
The flight departed Atlanta at 1548[2] and arrived at Kinston at 1642. The aircraft was refueled, but no maintenance was requested or performed. Seventy passengers boarded the aircraft and the flight taxied from the famp at 1828 with a total of 75 persons aboard.
The captain filed an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan to Huntington, via direct Raleigh—Durham, North Carolina, direct Pulaski, Virginia, direct Huntington, at Flight Level 260 (FL 260). The true airspeed was 473 knots and the estimated time en route was 52 minutes. The flight departed Kinston at 1838 and proceeded in accordance with the flight plan. Subsequent air traffic control transfers were accomplished and, at 1923, SOU 932 established contact with Huntington Approach Control by advis-
- ↑ The primary difference between this charter flight and a regularly scheduled flight conducted under the Southern Airways' operating certificate is the applicable landing minima. The Federal Aviation Regulations impose higher landing minima on the pilot of a charter flight, unless he is qualified at the airport and lower minima have been established for the airport in the air carrier's operations specifications. In this instance the normal minima for Runway 11 were increased from 1,240 feet and 1/2-mile to 1,240 feet and 1 mile.
- ↑ All times herein are eastern standard, based on the 24-hour-clock
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