Meteorological Conditions Associated with the ATR72 Aircraft Accident near Roselawn, Indiana, on 31 October 1994

Abstract

An ATR72 commuter aircraft crashed near Roselawn, Indiana, on 31 October 1994 killing all 68 people on board. Available weather data, including those from a Next Generation Radar, a radar wind profiler, a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, and pilot reports of icing have been examined in combination with analysis fields from the Rapid Update Cycle model and forecast fields from the Pennsylvania State University/National Center for Atmospheric Research MM5 numerical model. Synthesis of this information provides a relatively complete and consistent picture of the ambient meteorological conditions in the region of the ATR72 holding pattern at ∼3.1 km above mean sea level. Of particular interest is the evidence that these conditions favored the development of supercooled drizzle drops within a strong frontal zone, as indicated by cloud-top temperatures of -10° to -15°C, weak radar reflectivity, and strong, vertical wind shear within the cloud and warm front.