Accident · 1991-09-11

What the record says

Event date

1991-09-11

Event type

Accident

Highest injury level

Fatal injury

Aircraft

EMBRAER 120 (N33701)

Operating rule

Part 135

Operator

CONTINENTAL EXPRESS Operator named in NTSB report

Operated by (per NTSB report)

CONTINENTAL EXPRESS

Probable cause

THE FAILURE OF CONTINENTAL EXPRESS MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION PERSONNEL TO ADHERE TO PROPER MAINTENANCE AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROCEDURES FOR THE AIRPLANE'S HORIZONTAL STABILIZER DEICE BOOTS THAT LED TO THE SUDDEN IN-FLIGHT LOSS OF THE PARTIALLY SECURED LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER LEADING EDGE AND THE IMMEDIATE SEVERE NOSE-DOWN PITCHOVER AND BREAKUP OF THE AIRPLANE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FAILURE OF CONTINENTAL EXPRESS MANAGEMENT TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE APPROVED MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES, AND THE FAILURE OF THE FAA SURVEILLANCE TO DETECT AND VERIFY COMPLIANCE WITH APPROVED PROCEDURES. (NTSB REPORT AAR-92/04)

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.