Air Cargo Carriers Flight 1260
The aircraft involved, photographed on July 1983 while in service with Manx Airlines | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | May 5, 2017 |
| Summary | Excessive descent rate, caused by pilot error, led to an impact with terrain |
| Site | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Short 330-200 |
| Operator | Air Cargo Carriers, on behalf of UPS |
| IATA flight No. | 2Q1260 |
| ICAO flight No. | SNC1260 |
| Call sign | NIGHT CARGO 1260 |
| Registration | N334AC |
| Flight origin | Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
| Destination | Yeager Airport, Charleston, West Virginia, United States |
| Occupants | 2 |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 2 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On May 5, 2017, at around 6:55 AM ET, Air Cargo Carriers Flight 1260, a scheduled domestic feeder cargo flight operated on behalf of UPS using a Short 330-200 aircraft, crashed on landing at Yeager Airport, Charleston, West Virginia. The accident occurred after a flight from Louisville International Airport, Kentucky.[1] Both pilots, the sole occupants on board, were killed in the crash. The final report stated that the accident was caused by pilot error, since the crew initiated a descent that went against the standard operation procedures.[2][3]
Background
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Short 330-200, registered as N334AC. The aircraft was manufactured in 1979 and was first delivered to Loganair, it was then acquired by Air Cargo Carriers in 1998. On this occasion, it was operating a feeder cargo flight by Air Cargo Carriers on behalf of UPS.
Crew
- The captain was 47-year-old Jonathan Alvarado.[4] He was hired by Air Cargo Carriers in July 2015, and had a little over 4,300 total flight hours, of which 1,094 on the Short 330.[5]
- The first officer was 33-year-old Anh Ho.[4] She began working with the airline in 2016, and had a total of 652 flight hours of which 333 were in the Short 330.[5]
Both crew members were from Charleston, West Virginia.[5]
Accident
The Short 330 landed short of the runway, then bounced and crashed into trees. A post-impact fire broke out. Both pilots were killed and the aircraft was completely destroyed.[6]
References
- ^ "Crash of a cargo airplane in Charleston, West Virginia". NTSB. Retrieved 2026-01-20.
- ^ "Accident Shorts 330-200, Friday 5 may 2017". Retrieved March 8, 2025.
- ^ Simon Hradecky (May 5, 2017). "Crash: Cargo Carriers SH33 at Charleston on May 5th 2017, wing tip strike on landing". Retrieved March 8, 2025.
- ^ a b "Pilot error cited in 2017 Yeager Airport crash that killed 2". wsaz.com. The Associated Press. 2017-05-15. Archived from the original on 2026-02-13.
- ^ a b c NTSB. "National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report" (PDF). Retrieved March 8, 2025.
- ^ "NTSB's Report Of Fiery Charleston Crash Seems To Omit Key Point: Why? - Plane & Pilot". planeandpilotmag.com. 2020-01-07. Retrieved 2026-01-20.