Description

On 19 January 2010, a Bombardier CRJ 200 being operated by PSA Airlines on a domestic passenger flight departing Charleston to Charlotte NC carried out a high speed rejected take off in normal day visibility and overran the end of the dry runway 23 into an EMAS installation. The aircraft stopped within the EMAS in line with its design parameters applicable to the aircraft type and suffered only minor damage. None of the 34 occupants were injured.

Photo: Zodiac Aerospace

Investigation

An Investigation was carried out by the National Transportation Safety Board (USA) (NTSB). It was established that both pilots were experienced on the aircraft type. The correct trailing edge flap setting had been called during taxy out by the Captain who had been PF, but Flap 8 had then been set and called by the First Officer and specifically acknowledged as such by the Captain. This error sequence was found to have occurred in the context of extensive “non pertinent conversation” in contravention of the applicable sterile flight deck regulation. The investigation concluded that “the rapid and perfunctory manner in which the flight crew conducted the Taxi Checklist resulted in the Captain not visually comparing the airplane’s flap position with the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system data.”