Flight Training - March/April 2021 - 45

ADVANCED PILOT CAREER PILOT

FINALLY!

JOY RIDE

A CARD
FOR PILOTS.

A SIMPLE FERRY FLIGHT TAKES AN UNPROFESSIONAL-AND FATAL-TURN
BY PETER A. BEDELL

Cash Back1 Select
AOPA Partners
CASH BACK1 APPLIED AS STATEMENT CREDIT.

LEIGH CAULFIELD

ON OCTOBER 14, 2004, PINNACLE FLIGHT

3701, a Northwest Airlink-branded Canadair Regional Jet, crashed near Jefferson
City (Missouri) Memorial Airport on
its way from Little Rock, Arkansas, to
Minneapolis, Minnesota. The mission
was to reposition the airplane following a
maintenance cancellation. Only the pilots
were on board.
Almost immediately after takeoff,
pilot antics began. Passing through 450
feet, the first of three pitch-up maneuvers was performed, which set off both
the stall warning stick shaker and stick
pusher systems. During the climb, the
captain and first officer switched seats. A
second pitch-up maneuver was performed around 15,000 feet that resulted
in a 2.3-G load and briefly pegged the rate
of climb at 10,000 feet per minute. There
were also left and right rudder inputs
followed by a third pitch-up maneuver.
But the worst was yet to come as the
captain and first officer hatched a plan
to climb the CRJ to its certified ceiling
of Flight Level 410. The first officer, now
back in his assigned seat, proclaimed,

" Man, we can do it. Forty-one it! " Anyone
who's flown a CRJ200 will tell you that
high-altitude climb performance is
definitely not a trait of this airplane. Years
ago when I was a CRJ pilot, I wondered
how it ever was certified with such a high
ceiling given its abysmal high-altitude
performance.
ATC granted the crew the requested
climb to FL410. Indicated airspeed at
the start of the climb was 203 KIAS. The
crew commanded the autopilot to climb
in vertical speed mode at 500 feet per
minute. Use of vertical speed to climb at
high altitude is a poor choice, because
the autopilot will dutifully climb at
the commanded rate while sacrificing
precious airspeed to comply. By the time
the airplane reached FL410, speed had
bled off to only 163 KIAS. Climb in IAS
(indicated airspeed) mode would have
been more appropriate and would have
maintained airspeed.
After the pilots celebrated the
achievement of coaxing the airplane to
its ceiling, the captain left his seat to get
drinks. Upon return, he chatted with
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Flight Training - March/April 2021

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