Piedmont Airlines Flight 22
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 July 1967 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision |
| Site | Hendersonville, North Carolina |
| Total fatalities | 82 (all) |
| Total survivors | 0 |
| First aircraft | |
 A Piedmont 727-100 similar to the accident aircraft |
|
| Type | Boeing 727-22 |
| Name | Manhattan Pacemaker |
| Operator | Piedmont Airlines |
| Registration | N68650 |
| Flight origin | Asheville Regional Airport Asheville, North Carolina |
| Destination | Roanoke Regional Airport Roanoke, Virginia |
| Passengers | 74 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 79 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
.jpg) A Cessna 310 similar to the accident aircraft |
|
| Type | Cessna 310 |
| Operator | Lanseair Inc. |
| Registration | N3121S |
| Passengers | 2 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 3 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
1967 Hendersonville Mid-Air Collision was a collision between a Piedmont Airlines Boeing 727-22 and a twin-engine Cessna 310 that happened on 19 July 1967 at Hendersonville, North Carolina, USA. Both aircraft were destroyed and all passengers and crew were killed.
The aircraft were both operating under instrument flight rules (IFR) and in radio contact with the Asheville control tower, though on different frequencies.
Piedmont Flight 22 took off from Asheville Regional Airport's runway 16 at 11:58 for an IFR flight to Roanoke, Virginia. While the Boeing 727 was still on its takeoff roll the pilot of the Cessna 310 N3121S reported "Two one Sierra just passed over the VOR, we're headed for the ... for .. ah .. Asheville now." The Approach controller then cleared the Cessna to descend and maintain 6000 feet. At 11:59:44 the controller cleared Flight 22 to "... climb unrestricted to the VOR, report passing the VOR". He then cleared the Cessna for an approach to runway 16. The 727 was still climbing, when the Cessna slammed into the plane just aft of the cockpit, and disintegrated. Many witnesses reported the collision as sounding like a jet breaking the sound barrier. The 727 rolled onto its back, and crashed vertically into a camp known as Camp Pinewood, exploding on impact.
This was the first major airline accident investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), newly formed to replace the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). The NTSB's report placed the primary responsibility for the accident on the Cessna pilot, while citing air traffic control procedures as a contributing factor, and recommended a review of minimum pilot skill levels required for IFR flight.
In 2006, however, 39 years after the accident, the NTSB agreed to reopen the investigation because of apparent irregularities identified by Paul Houle, a historian who spent several years studying the accident. Houle alleged the following problems with the NTSB's original investigation:
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