British BAE 146-200 N609AW
15 December 1990 · Denver, Colorado, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 15 December 1990 at about 04:10 local time, a British BAE 146-200 registered N609AW, operated by Air Wisconsin, Inc., was involved in an incident near Denver, Colorado, United States. 57 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 04:10
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Denver, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.7608, -104.9204
- Aircraft
- British BAE 146-200
- Registration
- N609AW
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 4
- Operator
- Air Wisconsin, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Aspen
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- DEN91IA026
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 |
Probable cause
THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE NO.12 BLADE ON THE 4TH STAGE TURBINE WHEEL, AND FAILURE OF COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO IDENTIFY THE PREEXISTING CRACK DURING MAINTENANCE INSPECTION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AS THE FLIGHT WAS CLIMBING THROUGH FL210, THE CREW HEARD AN EXPLOSION AND FLAMES WERE SEEN COMING FROM THE TAILPIPE OF NO.3 ENGINE. THE ENGINE WAS SECURED AND THE AIRPLANE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. EXAMINATION REVEALED AN UNCONTAINED FAILURE. A PREEXISTING CRACK WAS FOUND IN THE NO.12 BLADE ON THE 4TH STAGE TURBINE WHEEEL. MAINTENANCE RECORDS DISCLOSED THE WHEEL HAD RECENTLY UNDERGONE A DYE PENETRANT INSPECTION. NO CRACKS WERE NOTED. THE ENGINE HAD ACCRUED 99 CYCLES AND 66 HOURS OVER A PERIOD OF 13 DAYS FROM THE TIME OF THE LAST INSPECTION AND THE TIME OF THE ENGINE FAILURE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other British BAE-146 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Feb 1989 | British BAE 146-200A | Los Alamitos, California, United States | American Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 2 Mar 1991 | British BAE-146-200 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | Air Nova | No injuries | - |
| 8 Dec 1987 | British BAE-146-200 | San Luis Obispo, California, United States | - | Fatal | 43 |
| 28 Jun 1987 | British BAE-146-100 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Pacific Southwest Airlines Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1994 | British BAE-146-200 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Oct 1986 | British BAE 146-200 | Santa Ana, California, United States | Pacific Southwest Airlines | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Apr 1990 | Cessna 170B | Englewood, Colorado, United States | Wilson, Richard H. | No injuries | - |
| 21 Apr 1990 | Cessna 310B | Elizabeth, Colorado, United States | Preferred Avitation, Ltd. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 1990 | Cessna 172 | Englewood, Colorado, United States | PC Flyers | No injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 1990 | Aero Commander CALLAIR A-9B | Montrose, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 May 1990 | Cessna 337 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | OUT and About Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 8 May 1990 | Beechcraft B-55 | Watkins, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |