British BA146-200A N356PS
28 February 1987 · Fresno, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 28 February 1987 at about 04:00 local time, a British BA146-200A registered N356PS, operated by Pacific Southwest Airlines, was involved in an accident near Fresno, California, United States. 87 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 04:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Fresno, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Fresno Air Terminal (FAT)
- Coordinates
- 36.6402, -119.9105
- Aircraft
- British BA146-200A
- Registration
- N356PS
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 4
- Operator
- Pacific Southwest Airlines
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Los Angeles → Reno
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Bright
- NTSB number
- LAX87FA128
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 87 |
Probable cause
FAILURE OF COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO ADEQUATELY EXAMINE THE ENGINE LUBRICATION SYSTEM WHEN CONTAMINATION WAS DETECTED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE FLIGHT WAS UNEVENTFUL DURING TAKEOFF AND CLIMB TO AN ASSIGNED CRUISE ALTITUDE OF FL260. APPROXIMATELY 40 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF THE NUMBER 3 ENGINE EXPERIENCED AN UNCONTAINED FAILURE OF THE TURBINE BLADES ON THE NUMBER 4 POWER TURBINE WHEEL. ALTHOUGH DEBRIS FROM THE ENGINE PENETRATED THE PRESSURE VESSEL, THE PILOT MADE AN UNSCHEDULED LANDING AT AN AIRPORT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT FERROUS CHIPS WERE CONTAMINATING, AND OIL WAS BYPASSING THE ENGINE OIL FILTER FOR AT LEAST 40 DAYS. HOWEVER, NO CORRECTIVE ACTION WAS TAKEN BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL. THE OIL AND FILTER WERE CHANGED THREE TIMES IN THE THREE MONTHS PREVIOUS TO THE ACCIDENT. THE EXAM REVEALED THAT THE CONTAMINATED OIL CONTRIBUTED TO THE FAILURE OF THE NUMBER FOUR TURBINE BEARING SUBSEQUENTLY LEADING TO OVERHEATING AND DAMAGE TO THE OVERSPEED SENSORS. THE TURBINE OVERSPED AND THE TURBINE BLADES DEPARTED THE TURBINE DISC.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Nov 1987 | Durbin MONNETT MONI | Ramona, California, United States | Lipner, Robert M. | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Dec 1987 | Bede BD-5 | Chula Vista, California, United States | Teufel, Armin U. | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Oct 1987 | Stits ELKINS 85 | Camarillo, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Nov 1987 | Isgrigg ELITE | Tehachapi, California, United States | Isgrigg, John | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Dec 1987 | Rolladen-Schneider LS-3 | Santa Ynez, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 1987 | Cessna 152 | San Dimas, California, United States | King Aviation | Minor injuries | - |