Accidents · NTSB ERA10LA041 · Final report

Boeing 717-200 accident near Pleasant Grove, North Carolina, October 26, 2009

On October 26, 2009 at about 4:02 pm local time, a Boeing 717-200, registered N935AT, was involved in an accident during enroute (descent) near Pleasant Grove, North Carolina. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 120 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The captain's excessive maneuver in response to a traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) alert, which resulted in a serious injury to a flight attendant. Contributing to the accident was the operator's inadequate TCAS training and guidance.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date: October 26, 2009 · about 4:02 pm local time
Place: Pleasant Grove, North Carolina · map
Type: Accident
Injuries: 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 120 others were unhurt.
Weather: visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft: Boeing 717-200 · all 717-200s on the register
Registration: N935AT · registry record · serial 55069
Damage: Not recorded
Flight: Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

During cruise descent the captain of the scheduled airline flight handed over control of the airplane to the first officer to make a public address announcement regarding turbulence. He had just turned on the fasten seatbelt sign when they received a resolution advisory (RA) from the onboard traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS). The captain then took back control of the airplane and initiated an avoidance maneuver. During the avoidance maneuver, a flight attendant sustained serious injuries and a child passenger sustained a minor injury. Review of air traffic control radar data and data from the onboard flight data recorder revealed that 1.5 seconds after the TCAS RA occurred, the captain initiated a series of excessive control inputs which resulted in a positive vertical acceleration of approximately 1.6g. One second after the positive vertical acceleration the airplane sustained a maximum negative vertical acceleration of approximately .2g. A second after the negative vertical acceleration the airplane sustained another positive load of 1.4g after which the acceleration was dampened out. According to the TCAS manufacturer's published guidance, a flight crew should "promptly but smoothly" follow a TCAS RA and since the maneuvers are coordinated between aircraft, the crew should never maneuver in the opposite direction of the advisory. The advisories are always based on the "least amount of deviation from the flight path" while providing safe vertical separation. Typical RAs that would require a maneuver by a flightcrew only requires crew response within 5 seconds and g-forces of ±.25g. Review of the airline's training and guidance materials for the two different types of airplanes the airline operated revealed that this information was included in the training and guidance material for one of the airplane types in their fleet but was not included in the training and guidance materials for the accident airplane type.

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

Collision avoidance alert during enroute (descent)
Abrupt maneuver during enroute (descent) defining event
Cabin safety event during enroute (descent)

The NTSB's findings

cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
factor Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Training › (general) › Operator
factor Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Documentation/record keeping › (general) › Operator

Pilot

Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
Flight time: 9,145 hours in all; 6,177 in this make and model; 193 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 2,330 as pilot in command
Last flight review: October 16, 2009
Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
Seat: left
Injury: no injuries

Co-pilot

Certificate: airline transport pilot
Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
Flight time: 8,360 hours in all; 3,661 in this make and model; 182 in the last 90 days; 73 in the last 30 days; 2,637 as pilot in command; 166 on instruments
Last flight review: May 21, 2009
Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
Seat: rgt
Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

Airframe total time: 23,031 hours
Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 4, 2009
Maximum gross weight: 120,000 lb
Seats: 123
Landing gear: retractable
Engine 1: Bmw Rolls BR-700-715C1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
Engine 2: Bmw Rolls BR-700-715C1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
Operator: Air Tran Airways

The flight

Departed from: MCO Orlando FL at 2:43 pm
Destination: HPN White Plains NY
Flight plan: IFR
A second pilot was aboard

Weather at the time

Light: daylight
Wind: from 070° at 11 knots, gusting 17
Visibility: 10 statute miles
Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft
Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
Observation at 4:51 pm from ORF

Injuries

	Serious	Minor	None
Cabi	1		2
Flight crew			2
Passengers		1	116

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.