Boeing 737
18 April 2011 · Camp Springs, Maryland, United States · Unknown
Summary
On 18 April 2011 at about 21:06 local time, a Boeing 737, operated by United States Air Force, was involved in an incident near Camp Springs, Maryland, United States. The number of people on board was not recorded. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:06
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Camp Springs, Maryland, United States
- Nearest airport
- Andrews Air Force Base (ADW)
- Coordinates
- 38.8001, -76.8696
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737
- Registration
- Not recorded
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- United States Air Force
- Operating rule
- Armed Forces
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Camp Springs
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- OPS11IA499
People
Injuries not recorded.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not recorded | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The misapplication of wake turbulence and instrument flight rules (IFR) separation criteria by air traffic controllers.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A Boeing 737 (B737) and a heavy Boeing C-17 were being provided radar vectors for instrument landing system approaches to the runway by a controller at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility. The controller vectored the C-17 onto the base leg of the traffic pattern ahead of the B737 to join the localizer for the approach. At this point, the airplanes were separated by 4.45 miles on a converging course with a closure rate of 180 knots. The C-17 was subsequently vectored to join the localizer and cleared for the approach. The controller then issued a wake turbulence advisory to the B737 and informed the pilot he would be 4 miles in trail of the C-17. The pilot of the B737 acknowledged the advisory, but, at this point, the airplanes were 3.62 miles apart. The minimum required wake turbulence separation was 5 miles. Both airplanes were directed to contact the air traffic control tower local controller. As both airplanes reduced their speeds for landing during final approach, their separation was reduced to 2.81 miles. The minimum instrument flight rules separation was 3 miles. The local controller authorized the B737 to make "S" turns on final approach to increase separation; however, when the B737 was 2 miles from the landing threshold, the B737 pilot told the local controller, "it doesn't look like we're going to make this," since the C-17 was still conducting the landing roll on the runway. The B737 pilot was instructed to perform a go-around, entered a left downwind for the runway, and landed uneventfully. The TRACON controller responsible for the wake turbulence operational error reported after the incident that he confused the minimum wake turbulence separation requirements for a B737 following a C-17 with the requirement for a B757 following a B757. The B757 requirement was 4 miles. The TRACON controller had been involved in 4 other operational errors in the 4 years preceding this incident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737 | - | United States Air Force | - |
| Boeing C17 A | - | United States Air Force | - |
Other Boeing 737 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Aug 2011 | Boeing 737 | Resolute, Canada | First Air | Unknown | - |
| 6 Sep 2011 | Boeing 737 7H4 | Cape Coral, Florida, United States | Southwest Airlines | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 2011 | Boeing 737 | Phuket, Thailand | Shanghai Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 2 Dec 2011 | Boeing 737-7H4 | Oakland, California, United States | Southwest Airlines Co | Serious injuries | - |
| 26 Jul 2011 | Boeing 737 | Pemir, Latvia | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Dec 2011 | Boeing 737 | Seoul, Republic Of Korea | Jeju Air | Unknown | - |
All 1,317 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 2011 | Temco GC-1B | Ewell, Maryland, United States | Ross Lanson C | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Sep 2011 | Cirrus SR20 | Gaitherburg, Maryland, United States | INN Flying Club Inc | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 2011 | Slingsby CAPSTAN TYPE 49B | Hollywood, Maryland, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 May 2011 | De Havilland DHC8 | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | Colgan Air Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 2011 | Cessna 172S | Cambridge, Maryland, United States | Brett Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 2 Mar 2011 | Iniziative Industriali Italian SKY ARROW 600 SPORT | Ridgely, Maryland, United States | Lewis F. Gayner | No injuries | - |