NTSB - Advisory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 1, 1999 SB-99-35

NTSB PUBLIC HEARING ON AMERICAN AIRLINES ACCIDENT
SET FOR JANUARY 26-28 IN LITTLE ROCK

Washington, DC - The National Transportation Safety Board will convene a public hearing in Little Rock, AR, January 26-28, 2000, as part of its ongoing investigation into the fatal runway accident last June of American Airlines flight 1420.

The accident aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 on a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Dallas, TX, on June 1, 1999, overran the end of the runway, went down an embankment, and impacted approach light structures after landing at Little Rock airport. Thunderstorms and heavy rain were reported in the area at the time of the accident. There were 11 fatalities, including the aircraft captain, and numerous injuries among the 145 passengers and crew aboard the flight.

The hearing will take place at the Arkansas Excelsior Hotel, Three Statehouse Plaza, Little Rock, AR, with NTSB Chairman Jim Hall presiding.

"This hearing is important," said Chairman Hall, "because the matters we will be discussing affect the safety of air travel throughout the United States. We had the crash of an aircraft with serious loss of life and the potential for a much greater number of fatalities. We need to learn all we can from this accident and work to develop measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future."

Chairman Hall noted that the hearing would focus on:

flight crew decision-making and its relationship to fatigue;
availability and dissemination of weather data;
aircraft performance;
passenger safety and emergency response;
runway overrun protection;
American Airlines' operational practices and procedures, and FAA oversight.

Chairman Hall will be assisted by senior NTSB technical staff and representatives of the parties participating in the investigation. The hearing will follow established Board procedures, with various aviation experts and others involved in the accident providing testimony and answering questions under oath. Information developed at the hearing will be used in preparing a final report on the accident that subsequently will be considered at a public Board meeting at the NTSB's Washington, DC, headquarters.

This news release and other Safety Board information are available at the NTSB website at www.ntsb.gov.

Media Contact: Paul Schlamm
Office: (202) 314-6100
Fax: (202) 314-6110

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