Boeing DHC-8-102 accident near Huntington, West Virginia, January 16, 2012
On January 16, 2012 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Boeing DHC-8-102, registered N839EX, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Huntington, West Virginia (Tri-State Airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 36 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate communication among ground crew personnel, which resulted in the airplane’s collision with a deice truck.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 2012 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Huntington, West Virginia · Tri-State Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 36 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing DHC-8-102
- Registration
- N839EX · registry record · serial 226
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the captain and the first officer, they were instructed to taxi the airplane to an unspecified deice area to remove frost from the airframe. As they taxied, a ground crewmember stood by the wing to ensure the airplane’s clearance from another airline’s equipment and signaled thumbs up to the flight crew to indicate when they were clear of the equipment. After taxiing a short distance, the flight crew stopped and awaited further instructions from a ramp agent on the radio for positioning the airplane. Unknown to the flight crew, the deicing team misunderstood the thumbs-up signal to mean that deicing could begin. Consequently, they moved into a position behind the airplane’s left wing and in front of the left horizontal tail. The ramp agent working the radio could not see the airplane from the radio location and, believing it was still at the gate, instructed the flight crew to taxi 50 feet and stop for deicing. The flight crew initiated taxiing and almost immediately felt a bump, colliding with the boom arm of the deice truck. They then stopped the airplane. The deice truck was not equipped for radio communication; therefore, the team’s movement and position could not be coordinated with the other ground personnel or flight crew.
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
- Ground handling event during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Operating environment › Communication system › Visual communication › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Ground crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,800 hours in all; 19,500 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40,609 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 11, 2011; 291 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 32,400 lb
- Seats: 36
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P&W Canada PW120 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W Canada PW120 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Piedmont Airlines Incorporated
The flight
- Departed from: HTS Huntington WV at 12:00 pm
- Destination: CLT Charlotte NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 180° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.28 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 am from HTS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 33 |
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.