June 1, 1999
Little Rock, Arkansas
American Airlines, 1420
McDonnell Douglas MD-82
N215AA

The plane was on a flight from Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas to Little Rock, Arkansas. While attempting to land at Little Rock Airport, the flight encountered heavy thunderstorms, rain and strong winds. The aircraft landed fast and hard, skidded off the end of the runway and struck a landing light tower, breaking into three parts and bursting into flames. Crew's decision to continue the approach despite severe thunderstorms in the area and crosswinds that exceeded American Airlines' guidelines. The crew did not arm the automatic spoiler system before landing or manually deploy the spoilers after touchdown. Fatigue, the crew had been awake for nearly 16 hours.  Eleven out of 145 aboard killed.

CAM-1 = Captain
CAM-2 = First Officer
APR = Approach Control
RDO = Radio transmission

1145: 15 CAM-1 I hate droning around visual at night in weather without having some clue where I am.
1145: 23 CAM-2 yeah but, the longer we go out here the …
1145: 24 CAM-1 yeah, I know.
1145: 25 CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1145: 26 CAM-5 stabilizer motion.
1145: 29 CAM-2 see how we're going right into this crap.
1145: 31 CAM-1 right.
1145: 47 RDO-2 and approach American fourteen twenty, I know you're doing your best sir. we're getting pre [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1145: 57 RDO-2 two seven zero, American fourteen twenty.
1145: 59 APR and uh, when you join the final, you're going to be right at just a little bit outside the marker if that's gonna be okay for ya.
1146: 04 CAM-1 that's great.
1146: 05 RDO-2 that's great with us.
1146: 06 APR American fourteen twenty, roger.
1146: 11 CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1146: 11 CAM-2 see we're right on the base of these clouds so …
1146: 13 CAM-1 yeah.
1146: 14 CAM-2 … it's not worth it.
1146: 15 CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1146: 20 CAM-2 two seven zero, two thousand three hundred?
1146: 23 CAM-1 yes sir. * where I am.
1146: 25 APR American fourteen twenty, turn right heading three, zero zero.
1146: 29 RDO-2 right turn three zero zero American fourteen twenty.
1146: 43 CAM [brief sound of Morse Code identifier]
1146: 47 RDO-2 zero two zero 'til established, American fourteen twenty, cleared four left approach.
1146: 52 CAM-1 aw, we're goin' right into this.
1146: 52 APR American fourteen twenty, right now we have uh, heavy rain on the airport. The uh, current weather on the ATIS is not correct. I don't have new weather for ya, but the uh, visibility is uh, less than a mile. runway four right RVR is three thousand.
1146: 53 CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1147: 04 CAM-1 three thousand.
1147: 04 RDO-2 roger that, three thousand, American uh, fourteen twenty. This is four right, correct?
1147: 07 CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1147: 08 APR American fourteen twenty, that's correct sir. and runway four right, cleared to land. The wind three five zero at three zero, gusts four five.
1147: 10 CAM-1 can we land?
1147: 16 RDO-2 zero three zero at four five, American fourteen twenty.
1147: 19 CAM-2 ** zero forecast right down the runway.
1147: 22 CAM-1 three thousand RVR. we can't land on that.
  CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1147: 27 CAM-1 what do we need?
1147: 28 CAM-2 no it's twenty four hundred RVR.
1147: 29 CAM-1 okay, fine.
1147: 30 CAM-2 yeah, we're doing fine.
1147: 31 CAM-1 all right.
1147: 34 CAM-1 uh, fifteen.
1147: 36 CAM [sound of clicks similar to flap handle movement]
1147: 40 CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1147: 44 CAM-1 landing gear down.
1147: 46 CAM [sound similar to landing gear being operated]
1147: 47 CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1147: 49 CAM-1 and lights ** please.
1147: 51 CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1147: 52 CAM-5 stabilizer motion
1147: 53 APR windshear alert, center field wind, three five zero at three two, gusts four five. north boundary wind three one zero at two niner. Northeast boundary wind three two zero at three two.
1148: 02 CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1148: 03 CAM-5 stabilizer motion.
1148: 04 CAM-2 flaps twenty eight?
1148: 11 CAM-1 add twenty.
1148: 13 CAM-2 right.
1148: 13 CAM-1 add twenty knots.
1148: 15 CAM-2 okay.
1148: 13 APR American fourteen twenty, the runway four right RVR now is one thousand six hundred.
1148: 18 CAM-2 aw #.
1148: 19 CAM-1 well we're established on the final.
1148: 21 CAM-2 we're established we're inbound, right.
1148: 25 RDO-2 okay, American fourteen twenty, we're established inbound.
1148: 27 APR American fourteen twenty roger, runway four right, cleared to land, and the wind, three four zero at three one. north wind, north uh, boundary wind is three zero zero at two six, northeast boundary wind three two zero at two five, and the four right RVR is one thousand six hundred.
1148: 37 CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1148: 42 RDO-2 American uh, fourteen twenty, thanks.
1148: 44 CAM-2 that's a good point.
1148: 46 CAM [unidentified intermittent tone]
1148: 48 CAM-2 keep the speed.
1148: 51 CAM-2 thousand feet.
1148: 55 CAM-1 I don't see anything. lookin' for four sixty.
1148: 59 CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1149: 01 CAM-2 it's there.
1149: 03 CAM-2 want forty flaps?
1149: 05 CAM-1 oh yeah, thought I called it.
1149: 06 CAM-2 forty now. thousand feet. twenty, forty forty land.
1149: 11 CAM [unidentified tone similar to sound at time 2928]
1149: 13 CAM-1 this is, this is a can of worms.
1149: 11 APR wind is three three zero at two eight.
1149: 18 CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1149: 23 CAM [sound similar to stabilizer- in- motion horn]
1149: 25 CAM-1 there's the runway off to your right, got it?
1149: 27 CAM-1 no.
1149: 28 CAM-2 I got the right runway in sight.
1149: 31 CAM-2 you're right on course. stay where you're at.
1149: 32 CAM-1 I got it, I got it.
1149: 33 APR wind three three zero at two five.
1149: 38.6 CAM -? wipers.
1149: 42.3 CAM [sound similar to windshield wiper motion]
1149: 47.3 CAM-2 five hundred feet.
1149: 51.0 CAM -? *.
1149: 54.6 CAM-1 plus twenty.
1149: 54 APR wind three two zero, at two three.
1149: 57.5 CAM -? aw #, we're off course.
1149: 58.5 CAM -? **.
1150: 01.4 CAM-2 we're way off.
1150: 02.5 CAM-1 I can't see it.
1150: 05.4 CAM-2 got it?
1150:06.1 CAM-1 yeah I got it.
1150: 08.9 CAM-2 hundred feet.
1150: 10.4 CAM -? above.
1150: 12.1 CAM-2 hundred.
1150: 14.66 CAM-2 fifty.
1150: 13.75 CAM-5 sink rate.
1150: 15.5 CAM-2 forty.
1150: 15.16 CAM-5 sink rate.
1150: 16.8 CAM-2 thirty.
1150: 18.6 CAM-2 twenty.
1150: 19.3 CAM-2 ten.
1150: 21.2 CAM [sound of two thuds similar to aircraft touching down on runway concurrent with unidentified squeak sound]
1150: 23.2 CAM-2 we're down.
1150: 25.4 CAM-2 we're sliding.
1150: 27.1 CAM-1 #… #.
1150: 32.9 CAM -? on the brakes.
1150: 34.2 CAM [sound similar to increase in engine RPM]
1150: 36.2 CAM -? other one, other one, other one.
1150: 42.0 CAM -? aw #.
1150: 42.7 CAM -? ##.
1150: 44.9 CAM [sound of impact]
1150: 45.4 CAM -? ##.
1150: 48.0 CAM [sound of several impacts]
1150: 49.1   END of RECORDING

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