British 3201 N339TE

Summary

On 12 August 1991 at about 16:09 local time, a British 3201 registered N339TE, operated by Trans States Airlines, was involved in an accident near St Louis, Missouri, United States. 7 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.

Date

12 August 1991 at 16:09

Classification

Accident

Location

St Louis, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Lambert-St Louis Intl (STL)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

British 3201

Registration

N339TE

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Trans States Airlines

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ft Smith → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI91MA260

Nobody was injured.

FAILURE OF THE PILOT(S) TO FOLLOW THE CORRECT EMERGENCY PROCEDURE. FACTORS RELATED TO THIS ACCIDENT WERE: INADEQUATE SYSTEM DESIGN BY THE MANUFACTURER, WHICH ALLOWED HYDRAULIC LINE VIBRATION, FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE LINE, AND LOSS OF FLUID FROM THE NORMAL HYDRAULIC SYSTEM.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

DRG FLT, A HYDR LINE (PN 137311D1443) IN THE MAIN HYDR SYS FAILED. THE CAPT & 1ST OFFICER MADE NUMEROUS ATMTS TO EXTD THE LNDG GEAR BY USING THE EMERG CHECKLIST & ACFT FLT MANUAL. TWO OF 3 LNDG GEAR LEGS WERE EXTDD, BUT THE PLTS WERE UNABLE TO EXTD THE LEFT MAIN LNDG GEAR. SUBSEQENTLY, THE ACFT WAS DMGD DRG LNDG. THE HYDR LINE WAS CURVED & MEASURED ABT 15' FM END TO END. IT HAD FAILED AT THE BASE OF A FLARED FITTING. THIS ALLOWED HYDR FLUID IN THE MAIN SYS RESERVOIR TO BE PUMPED OVERBOARD. THE EMERG HYDR SYS HAD A 3 PSN SLCTR: NORMAL, FLAPS DOWN, GEAR DOWN. TESTS OF THE GEAR EXTN SYS REVEALED IT WORKED PROPERLY PER INSTRNS FM THE EMERG CHECKLIST, BUT WITH THE SLCTR IN THE NORMAL PSN, THE LINE FAILURE ALLOWED FLUID TO BE PUMPED FM THE EMERG RESERVOIR TO THE MAIN SYS. A METALLURGICAL EXAM REVEALED THE HYDR LINE HAD FAILED FM MULTIPLE FATIGUE ORIGINS ON THE OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF THE TUBE & ON DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE SIDES. LATER, BRITISH AEROSPACE ISSUED A SVC BULLETIN (23-JM-8170) TO REINFORCE THE HYDR LINE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.