The empty CRJ climbed past its ceiling - did they make it?
Shownotes
An empty CRJ climbs past its ceiling on a ferry flight to Minneapolis-two pilots pushing limits; did they make it in time?
The empty CRJ climbed past its ceiling - did they make it?
In this episode, we follow a repositioning ferry flight where two Pinnacle Airlines pilots pushed a Bombardier CRJ-200 beyond its certified ceiling and into a chain of escalating errors. The episode traces the decisions, the silence, and the missing oversight that turned routine choices into catastrophe - what went wrong in those fifty-three minutes?
Date: October 14, 2004
Aircraft: Bombardier CRJ-200 (N8396A)
Operator: Pinnacle Airlines / Northwest Airlink
Flight type: Ferry flight (no passengers, no cabin crew)
Duration of recorded incident: 53 minutes
- Two pilots, Jesse Rhodes (captain, 31) and Peter Cesarz (first officer, 23), deadheaded to Little Rock then were reassigned to the empty ferry run.
- The CRJ’s certified ceiling was 41,000 feet; pilots in Pinnacle’s community informally attempted that altitude on empty repositioning flights.
- Rhodes had 6,900 total flight hours and 973 on the CRJ-200; training records noted deficiencies in decision-making and judgment.
- The flight data and cockpit voice recorders capture a sequence: climb past ceiling, a violent stall and dual engine flameout, then fourteen minutes where both engines were out but ATC was told only one had failed.
- At the moment of upset six airports were within gliding range; five slipped out of reach during the fourteen minutes of silence.
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© 2026 Created by an independent creator of the OBOMEDIA Network. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the property of their respective creator, who is solely responsible for them, and are distributed by the OBOMEDIA Network on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without the creator's prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].
The empty CRJ climbed past its ceiling - did they make it?
In this episode, we follow a repositioning ferry flight where two Pinnacle Airlines pilots pushed a Bombardier CRJ-200 beyond its certified ceiling and into a chain of escalating errors. The episode traces the decisions, the silence, and the missing oversight that turned routine choices into catastrophe - what went wrong in those fifty-three minutes?
Date: October 14, 2004
Aircraft: Bombardier CRJ-200 (N8396A)
Operator: Pinnacle Airlines / Northwest Airlink
Flight type: Ferry flight (no passengers, no cabin crew)
Duration of recorded incident: 53 minutes
- Two pilots, Jesse Rhodes (captain, 31) and Peter Cesarz (first officer, 23), deadheaded to Little Rock then were reassigned to the empty ferry run.
- The CRJ’s certified ceiling was 41,000 feet; pilots in Pinnacle’s community informally attempted that altitude on empty repositioning flights.
- Rhodes had 6,900 total flight hours and 973 on the CRJ-200; training records noted deficiencies in decision-making and judgment.
- The flight data and cockpit voice recorders capture a sequence: climb past ceiling, a violent stall and dual engine flameout, then fourteen minutes where both engines were out but ATC was told only one had failed.
- At the moment of upset six airports were within gliding range; five slipped out of reach during the fourteen minutes of silence.
Tired of ads? Listen to this podcast and 200+ more ad-free on OBOMEDIA.
Try it free for 7 days, cancel anytime: https://obomedia.com/en/gratis?ref=desc-7317291
© 2026 Created by an independent creator of the OBOMEDIA Network. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the property of their respective creator, who is solely responsible for them, and are distributed by the OBOMEDIA Network on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without the creator's prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].