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Flight crew error determined as cause of 2017 Yeager Airport crash

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An error by the flight crew aboard a cargo plane that crashed at Yeager Airport has been determined as the cause of the 2017 incident.

The National Transportation Safety Board released a final report on the crash on Wednesday; two people died in the incident.

The board determined the probable cause of the wreck is rooted in the decision to conduct a circling approach, contrary to the operator’s standard procedures.

The report noted the “captain’s excessive descent rate and maneuvering during the approach” led to uncontrolled contact with the ground.

“No evidence was found to indicate why the captain chose to continue the approach; however, the captain’s recent performance history, including an unsatisfactory checkride due to poor instrument flying, indicated that his instrument flight skills were marginal,” the board said.

“It is possible that the captain felt more confident in his ability to perform an unstable approach to the runway compared to conducting the circling approach to land.”

Other factors noted include the operator’s lack of a formal safety program to assess hazards and compliance with standard procedures and “monitor pilots with previous performance issues.”





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