- Date
- January 20, 1989, 08:14 local (13:14 UTC)
- Place
- South Bend, IN
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N901BDassault-Breguet Falcon 900
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 12, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890120001059A
- Case key
- 14428
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the thrust reverser actuator links due to a manufacturing/design problem. Factors related to the accident were: the adverse runway conditions and the crosswind.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plts rprtd that while lndg on a snow & slush cvrd rwy, they used full reverse thrust & max braking with anti-skid, but the acft did not decelerate. They selected the #2 brake sys without anti-skid. Subsequently, the main tires failed (blew-out) & the acft slid off the left side of the rwy, collapsing the left main gear. Inv revealed that both thrust reverser actuator links on the #2 eng had failed. With these failures the #2 eng would have contd to provide fwd thrust,propelling the acft dwn the rwy. (On this model of acft, only the #2 eng was equipped with reverse thrust capability.) Metallurgical exams of the fwd rod end fittings of both reverse thrust actuator links (p/n 8140-06LK) revealed the bearing loops had failed from overstress. Mandatory service bulletin (s/b) F900-78-1 was issued on 5/18/89 to provide a safety system to prevent activation of the thrust reverser above idle, while the aircraft is on the ground. Also, mandatory s/b F900-78-2 was issued on 7/19/89 to reinforce the thrust reverser actuating mechanisms.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N901B
- Reported as
- Dassault-Breguet Falcon 900
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 024
- Airframe hours
- 886
- Engine
- Garrett TFE-731, 4,500 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Bristol-Myers Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · December 22, 1988 · 74 hours before
- Departed
- PHL · Philadelphia, PA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SBN · Michiana Regional, runway 27, 7,089 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 10,985 total · 500 in this make and model · 8,400 as pilot in command · 119 in the last 90 days · 52 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 13 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,100 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBN, 5 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.