Incident · 1994-05-03

What the record says

Event date

1994-05-03

Event type

Incident

Highest injury level

No injuries

Aircraft

Saab-Scania AB (Saab) S340B (N245AE)

Operating rule

Part 135

Operator

WINGS WEST AIRLINES, INC. Operator named in NTSB report

Operated by (per NTSB report)

WINGS WEST AIRLINES, INC.

Probable cause

ENGINE ICE/SLUSH INGESTION THAT RESULTED IN POWER INTERRUPTIONS AND FAILURE OF THE AIR DATA COMPUTER COUPLED WITH MOISTURE INGESTION OF THE STATIC SYSTEM. FACTORS WERE THE FAILURE OF THE MANUFACTURER TO CORRECT A PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED DESIGN DEFICIENCY THAT PERMITTED THE ACCUMULATION OF ENGINE INLET ICE/SLUSH, WHICH COULD NOT BE OBSERVED BY THE FLIGHT CREW, NOR PREVENTED BY ON-BOARD ENGINE ANTI-ICE EQUIPMENT, THE LACK OF A PROACTIVE STANCE BY THE FAA WHEN INVOLVED WITH AIRCRAFT CERTIFICATION UNDER BI-LATERAL AGREEMENTS, AND THE INADEQUACY OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS REGARDING ENGINE INLET ICE PROTECTION.

Flight crew

Flight-crew details for this event aren't in the NTSB database extract we hold (its coverage starts with 2008 events) — a gap in our data, not an absence of crew.