Bombardier INC DHC-8-402 accident near Clarence Center, New York, February 13, 2009
On February 13, 2009 at about 1:17 am local time, a Bombardier INC DHC-8-402, registered N200WQ, was destroyed in an accident during approach (IFR initial approach) near Clarence Center, New York (Buffalo-Niagara International airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 49 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The captain’s inappropriate response to the activation of the stick shaker, which led to an aerodynamic stall from which the airplane did not recover. Contributing to the accident were (1) the flight crew's failure to monitor airspeed in relation to the rising position of the low-speed cue, (2) the flight crew failure to adhere to sterile cockpit procedures, (3) the captain’s failure to effectively manage the flight, and (4) Colgan Air’s inadequate procedures for airspeed selection and management during approaches in icing conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 13, 2009 · about 1:17 am local time
- Place
- Clarence Center, New York · Buffalo-Niagara International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 49 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bombardier INC DHC-8-402
- Registration
- N200WQ · no longer on the register · serial 4200
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board’s full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/A_Acc1.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-10/01. On February 12, 2009, about 2217 eastern standard time, a Colgan Air, Inc., Bombardier DHC-8-400, N200WQ, operating as Continental Connection flight 3407, was on an instrument approach to Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, Buffalo, New York, when it crashed into a residence in Clarence Center, New York, about 5 nautical miles northeast of the airport. The 2 pilots, 2 flight attendants, and 45 passengers aboard the airplane were killed, one person on the ground was killed, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Stall warn/stick-shaker/pusher during approach (IFR initial approach)
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (IFR initial approach)
- Attempted remediation/recovery during approach (IFR initial approach)
- Loss of control in flight during approach (IFR initial approach) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Navigation system › Stall warning system › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring equip/instruments › Flight crew
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Communication (personnel) › CRM/MRM techniques › Flight crew
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Workload management › (general) › Pilot
- factor Organizational issues › Management › Policy/procedure › Adequacy of policy/proc › Operator
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to structural icing › Not specified
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Indicating/recording systems › Instrument panel › Not installed/available
- Personnel issues › Physical › Alertness/Fatigue › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Documentation/record keeping › Personnel records › Operator
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Training › Recurrent training › Operator
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of operation › FAA/Regulator
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Safety programs › (general) › Operator
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › (general) › (general) › Availability of related info
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,263 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 1,205 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 3, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,238 hours in all; 768 in this make and model; 174 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 1,350 as pilot in command; 995 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 16, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,819 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 12, 2010
- Seats: 74
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: P&W Canada PW150A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada PW150A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Colgan Air INC
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ at 2:19 am
- Destination: BUF Buffalo NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 250° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:10 am from BUF, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 2 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 45 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.