US Airways plane crashes

The following are significant events involving the airline or its subsidiares. The numbered events are those involving at least one airline passenger death where the aircraft flight had a direct or indirect role, and where at least one of the dead passengers was not a stowaway, hijacker, or saboteur. Only events since 1970 are included.

The airline was known as Allegheny Airlines until 1979 when it changed its name to USAir. In 1997, USAir changed its name to US Airways. The airline was acquired by America West in 2006. The merged airline operated as US Airways until it ceased operations as an independent airline when it was merged with American Airlines in 2015.

1. 7 June 1971; Allegheny Airlines Convair 580; New Haven, CT: The aircraft crashed about three eighths of a mile (600 m) short of the runway threshold during landing in reduced visibility. Two of the three crew members and 26 of the 28 passengers were killed.

2. 12 February 1979; Allegheny Airlines Mohawk 299; Clarksburg, VA: The aircraft crashed during takeoff due to snow on the wings. One of the three crew members and one of the 22 passengers were killed.

3. 20 September 1989; USAir 737-400; La Guardia Airport, New York: The crew incorrectly trimmed the rudder for takeoff and were forced to abort the takeoff. The aircraft overran the runway and was partially submerged in water. Two of the 55 passengers were killed.
   Boeing 737 plane crashes

4. 1 February 1991; USAir 737-300; Los Angeles, CA: The USAir flight was cleared to land on a runway which also had a Skywest Metro III on the runway awaiting takeoff. The aircraft collided and burst into flames. Two of the six crew members and 20 of the 83 passengers on the USAir jet were killed. All 10 passengers and two crew members on the Metro III were killed.
   Boeing 737 plane crashes

5. 3 January 1992; USAir Express (Commutair) Beech 1900; N55000; flight 4821; Gabriel, NY: The aircraft hit high ground on approach 3.9 miles (6.2 km) from the runway at about 1600 feet (490 meters) above minimum altitude at that point. The NTSB believes that the glide slope indicator may have been unreliable due to precipitation static. One of the two crew members and one of the two passengers on this scheduled flight were killed.
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6. 22 March 1992; USAir F28-4000; New York, NY: The aircraft crashed just after takeoff in snowy conditions due to icing on the aircraft's wings. Three of the four crew members and 24 of the 47 passengers were killed.
   Fokker F28 plane crashes

7. 2 July 1994; USAir DC9-31; Charlotte, NC: The aircraft encountered heavy rain and wind shear during approach at about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) from the runway. The crew executed attempted to go around for another landing attempt, but the aircraft could not overcome the wind shear. All five crew members survived, but 37 of the 52 passengers were killed.
   DC9 plane crashes

8. 8 September 1994; USAir 737-300; near Pittsburgh, PA: The aircraft lost control at about 6,000 feet (1830 meters) during approach. All five crew members and 127 passengers were killed.
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   Boeing 737 plane crashes

9. 8 January 2003; US Airways Express (Air Midwest) Beech 1900; N233YV; flight 5481; Charlotte, NC: The aircraft crashed into a maintenance hanger at the airport shortly after it departed for a flight to Greenville, SC. The NTSB determined that the loss of pitch control resulted from a combination of an incorrectly rigged elevator control system and by the airplane’s aft center of gravity being substantially aft of the certified limit. Both pilots and all 19 passengers were killed in the crash.
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   15 January 2009; US Airways A320-200, New York, NY: The aircraft was on a scheduled passenger flight from New York (LaGuardia) to Charlotte, NC The aircraft struck a flock of birds shortly after takeoff and experienced a loss of power to both engines. The crew was able to successfully ditch the aircraft in the Hudson River near midtown Manhattan. The aircraft reached an maximum altitude of about 3200 feet before it began to descend. After ditching, all five crew members and 150 passengers evacuated the aircraft. One passenger sustained serious injuries.
   US Airways plane crashes
   Airbus A320 plane crashes
   Jet Airliner Ditching Events
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