Investigation Summary
Buffalo Airways Flight 721 was a multi-leg cargo operation for Burlington Air Express, originating in Oklahoma City. During the leg from Wichita to Kansas City, the crew faced deteriorating weather including fog and a 100-foot ceiling. Per company regulations, the captain took control from the first officer for the approach due to the low visibility. Although the flight was cleared for the ILS runway 1 approach, the aircraft never properly intercepted the glideslope and continued a steady descent into terrain. The Automated Radar Tracking System (ARTS III) at the control tower triggered a Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW), prompting the controller to issue two urgent altitude alerts. The crew did not acknowledge these warnings; instead, the captain requested a radio altimeter reading. The first officer reported 1,200 feet on the radio altimeter, a figure that contradicted the aircraft's actual position near a 950-foot ridge, suggesting a misidentification of the instrument or extreme crew confusion during the CRM breakdown. A 'pull it up' command was heard on the cockpit voice recorder only one second before the aircraft struck treetops.
Final Conclusions
The NTSB determined the probable cause was the captain's intentional descent below the Decision Height (DH). Contributing factors included a breakdown in cockpit resource management (CRM), which prevented the crew from recognizing they were below the glideslope, and the unexplained failure of the GPWS to provide a 'below glideslope' warning. The aircraft struck trees on a ridge 3 nautical miles short of the runway, rolled right, and was destroyed by impact and fire.
Video Analysis
The Deadly Crash Of Buffalo Airways 721 — A detailed look at the 1987 crash of Buffalo Airways Flight 721 near Kansas City, examining the crew's descent below minimums and the failure of safety systems.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Clarence Brenner, age 52
Systems & Failure Modes
GPWS
The Ground Proximity Warning System failed to alert the crew that they were dangerously low and below the glideslope path.
ARTS III / MSAW
The ground-based Minimum Safe Altitude Warning system correctly identified the aircraft's low altitude and alerted the controller.
ILS
The Instrument Landing System localizer was intercepted, but the crew failed to properly capture or track the glideslope.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was a Boeing 707-351C manufactured in 1966.
- 02The weather at the time of the accident included a 100-foot overcast ceiling and 1/2 mile visibility in fog.
- 03The aircraft struck a ridge at an elevation of 950 feet while the airport elevation was approximately 1,026 feet.
- 04The GPWS failed to provide any warning of the unsafe deviation below the glideslope.
- 05The captain had approximately 10,000 total flying hours, with 3,500 on the Boeing 707.
Safety Actions & Advisories
GPWS Maintenance and Testing
Following the unexplained failure of the GPWS to provide a 'below glideslope' warning, the NTSB emphasized the need for more rigorous testing and maintenance of Ground Proximity Warning Systems to ensure reliability during critical phases of flight.
Location
ACCIDENT SITE · Coordinates taken from the official investigation report.