| Flagship Airlines Flight 3379 | |
| Occurrence Type: | Accident |
| Date: | December 13, 1994 |
| Type: | Pilot error
|
| Site: | Morrisville, near Raleigh–Durham International Airport, North Carolina, United States of America |
| Coordinates: | 35.8347°N -78.8669°W |
| Aircraft Type: | Jetstream 32 |
| Operator: | Flagship Airlines dba American Eagle |
| Tail Number: | N918AE |
| Callsign: | EAGLE FLIGHT 379 |
| Origin: | Piedmont Triad International Airport |
| Destination: | Raleigh–Durham International Airport |
| Occupants: | 20 |
| Passengers: | 18 |
| Crew: | 2 |
| Fatalities: | 15 |
| Injuries: | 5 |
| Survivors: | 5 |
Flagship Airlines Flight 3379 was a scheduled flight under the American Eagle branding from Piedmont Triad International Airport to Raleigh–Durham International Airport during which a British Aerospace Jetstream crashed while executing a missed approach to the Raleigh–Durham International Airport on the evening of Tuesday, December 13, 1994. The two pilots and 13 passengers died in the crash; five passengers survived with serious injuries.[1] [2]
The flight route from Greensboro to Raleigh is about . Observers at the crash scene said it was foggy and sleeting. The airport reported a temperature of with steady drizzle.
The crew for Flight 3379 were Captain Michael Hillis, 29, and First Officer Matthew Sailor, 25.[3]
The aircraft was manufactured in 1991 and had logged 6,577 flying hours.[4]
On October 24, 1995, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released their report on the crash. The crash was blamed on Captain Hillis incorrectly assuming that an engine had failed. Hillis also failed to follow approved procedures for engine failure single-engine approach, go-around, and stall recovery. Flagship Airlines management was blamed for failing to identify, document, monitor, and remedy deficiencies in pilot performance and training.[5] [6]
In May 2016, a memorial was dedicated at Carpenter Park in Cary, NC, USA to the passengers, crew, families, and responders of both Flight 3379 and AVAir Flight 3378, which crashed near the RDU Airport while dba American Eagle in 1988.[7]
The crash was featured on season 22 of the Canadian documentary series Mayday, in the episode titled "Turboprop Terror".