Bombardier CL-600 accident near Snow Hill, Virginia, July 21, 2004
On July 21, 2004 at about 12:15 pm local time, a Bombardier CL-600, registered N995CA, was involved in an accident near Snow Hill, Virginia. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's excessive maneuvering in response to a TCAS alert, which resulted in a serious injury to the flight attendant.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2004 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- Snow Hill, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bombardier CL-600 · all CL-600s on the register
- Registration
- N995CA · registry record · serial 7229
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight crew received a traffic advisory (TA) alert from the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), followed shortly by an aural resolution advisory (RA) warning to "CLIMB, CLIMB." The first officer (FO) then disconnected the autopilot and initiated a climb, at a rate of ascent of 1,500 feet per minute. The captain then announced he was taking the controls and proceeded to pitch the airplane at a greater angle. As the airplane ascended, the flight attendant fell to the floor and broke her ankle. Once the TCAS announced, "clear of conflict," the captain leveled the airplane at 30,000 feet. He then returned the controls to the FO, and the airplane was descended back to an assigned altitude of FL 290. A review of radar data and air traffic control information, revealed that the accident airplane was climbing at a rate of 2,500 feet per minute and an airspeed of 483 knots. The airplane which caused the traffic alert for the accident airplane was an MD-80, which was climbing at 2,000 feet per minute, and an airspeed of 433 knots. The closest proximity between the two aircraft was 1.54 nautical miles, and 1,500 feet. According to the operator's Flight Standards Manual, "the correct response to a corrective RA is to fly from the red zone into the green zone. This maneuver requires a response within 5 seconds of the advisory using approximately a 0.25g maneuver". A performance review of the radar data revealed the flight crew's maneuver in response to the TCAS alert included a 1,000-foot climb, followed immediately by a descent back to the airplane’s assigned altitude. The maneuver described by the radar data could be performed using an initial 1.15 G pull-up to start the climb, followed by a 0.05 push-over to arrest the climb and start the descent, followed by a 1.4 G pull-up to level the airplane at the assigned altitude. In this sequence, the time between the 0.05 G push-over and the 1.4 G level-off was about 5 seconds.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,530 hours in all; 4,570 in this make and model; 197 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,213 hours in all; 1,179 in this make and model; 953 as pilot in command; 760 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,817 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 53,000 lb
- Seats: 53
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: General Electric CF34-3A1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHS Charleston SC at 10:30 am
- Destination: JFK New York NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 am from WAL, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 2 | ||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.