Learjet N244FX

Summary

On 31 March 2007 at about 16:27 local time, a Learjet registered N244FX, operated by Jet Solutions LLC, was involved in an incident near Palm Springs, California, United States. 3 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.

Date

31 March 2007 at 16:27

Classification

Incident

Location

Palm Springs, California, United States

Nearest airport

Palm Springs International (KPSP)

Coordinates

33.8492, -116.5603

Aircraft

Learjet

Registration

N244FX

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Jet Solutions LLC

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Santa Ana → Bedford

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ENG07IA018

Nobody was injured.

The fatigue fracture of the fan blade due to the blade vendor's improper setup of the forging dies, which resulted in fan blades with airfoils that were below the minimum thickness in the highest stressed area of the airfoil and resulted in operating stresses that exceeded the material's capability. Contributing to the incident was the engine manufacturer's lack of a dimensional inspection of the fan blade's airfoil.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane experienced an in-flight fan blade separation in the left engine, a Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PW305A turbofan, while in cruise flight at FL 410 near Palm Springs (PSP), California. The airplane diverted to PSP for an overweight, single-engine landing without further incident. The examination of the engine revealed that one fan blade was fractured transversely across the airfoil adjacent to the blade root platform. Metallurgical examination of the fan blade revealed that the blade had separated from a fatigue fracture. A fluorescent penetrant examination of the fan blades from both engines revealed numerous fan blades had crack indications. Some of the blades were broken open to reveal fatigue cracks similar to that noted on the fractured blade. A dimensional inspection of the cracked fan blades revealed that they were under the minimum thickness in a highly stressed area of the airfoil. The investigation determined that the fan blades were too thin due to an improper forging die setup when the blades were manufactured. At the time the fan blades were made, PWC did not require a dimensional inspection of the fan blade airfoils.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.