20030417008279A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Fokker F.27MK 600 · Port Townsend, WA · April 17, 2003

Date: April 17, 2003 · 15:30 local
Place: Port Townsend, WA
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator: COEA
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N730FE
NTSB investigation: NTSBSEA03LA076
Reported as: Fokker F27MK600
Reported engine: Rolls-Royce DART532*
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0

N730FERegistration cancelled Apr 30, 2008 · Fokker F.27MK 600S/N 10386 · Built 1966 Airframe modelFokker F.27MK 600 Engine modelRolls-Royce DART532 seriesTurbo-prop

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) On April 17, 2003 about 1530PDT, a Fokker F-27MK 600, N730FE, registered to federal express corporation, and operated by empire airlines as a 14 CFR part 121 scheduled cargo flight enroute to seattle, Washington, sustained substantial damage to the nacelle firewall following a #1 engine accessory gear box drive shaft failure while in cruise flight near Port Townsend, WA. The flight continued to seattle where a single-engine landing was made without incident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. A subsequent inspection by empire airlines maintenance personnel found the #1 engine accessory gear box drive shaft had failed at the gear box end. Drive shaft is being sent to the NTSB lab for inspection of possible cause of failure. T/s/o on drive shaft 830 hrs.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON APRIL 17, 2003 ABOUT 1530PDT, A FOKKER F-27MK 600, N730FE, REGISTERED TO FEDERAL EXPRESS CORPORATION, AND OPERATED BY EMPIRE AIRLINES AS A 14 CFR PART 121 SCHEDULED CARGO FLIGHT ENROUTE TO SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE NACELLE FIREWALL FOLLOWING A #1 ENGINE ACCESSORY GEAR BOX DRIVE SHAFT FAILURE WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT NEAR PORT TOWNSEND, WA. THE FLIGHT CONTINUED TO SEATTLE WHERE A SINGLE-ENGINE LANDING WAS MADE WITHOUT INCIDENT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. A SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION BY EMPIRE AIRLINES MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL FOUND THE #1 ENGINE ACCESSORY GEAR BOX DRIVE SHAFT HAD FAILED AT THE GEAR BOX END. DRIVE SHAFT IS BEING SENT TO THE NTSB LAB FOR INSPECTION OF POSSIBLE CAUSE OF FAILURE. T/S/O ON DRIVE SHAFT 830 HRS.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB SEA03LA076Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportPort Townsend, WAThe failure of the accessory drive shaft due to deterioration of bearing number 1 in the aft fork of the universal joint for undetermined reasons during cruise flight.Apr 17, 2003 · Substantial damage