Cessna 208B N701FX

Summary

On 3 December 2009 at about 12:47 local time, a Cessna 208B registered N701FX, operated by Wiggins Airways, Inc., was involved in an incident near Rome, New York, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 December 2009 at 12:47

Classification

Incident

Location

Rome, New York, United States

Coordinates

43.2339, -75.4069

Aircraft

Cessna 208B

Registration

N701FX

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Wiggins Airways, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Syracuse → Plattsburgh

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10IA094

Nobody was injured.

The operator's inadequate engine wash intervals, which resulted in compressor turbine blade sulphidation and subsequent turbine blade failure.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was climbing through 7,500 feet when the pilot heard a grinding noise and saw that the gas generator speed indicator had dropped to zero. The engine then seized and the pilot declared an emergency. An air traffic controller provided vectors toward an airport; however, the airplane landed in a field about 3 miles short of the runway. Subsequent disassembly of the engine revealed compressor turbine blade fractures at varying heights above the platform and downstream damage to the power turbine blades. Further examination revealed that 13 blades were fractured at the platform, with 8 of those exhibiting fatigue fractures at the leading edge, and overload fractures toward the trailing edge. The remaining five blades exhibited ductile overload fractures over the entire fracture surface. A number of blades were also fixed to the disc, with the mating surfaces of both the blades and the disc exhibiting corrosion. Examination of blade serrations revealed an accumulation of orange dust, with black corrosion blisters observed at various locations. Dust analysis revealed sulphidation, with airborne salts likely reacting with the oxide layer on the blades to result in oxide layer decay. Subsequent to the incident, the operator increased engine water washes from once every 50 hours of engine operation to weekly, and incorporated borescope inspections into the engine maintenance program at every 100 hours of operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.