- Date
- March 13, 1999, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Durango, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N411WWGulfstream G-IV
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990313014129I
- Case key
- 45904
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the number four fuel line. Factors were the chaffing of the alternator's electrical wires on the number four fuel line, and the subsequent fire in the number one engine nacelle.
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 airplane was cruising at 41,000 feet msl when the crew noticed low fuel flow and low EGT readings on the left engine. They further noted that the oil temperature and fuel temperature gauges began to rise on the same engine. They requested clearance to descend, and as the captain reduced the throttle, the fire light on the left engine illuminated. He pulled the left fire T-handle and the fire light extinguished. The crew secured the engine, requested emergency equipment be standing by in Durango, and landed without further incidence. Postaccident examination revealed that the lower forward area of the left engine nacelle was damaged by fire. Further examination revealed that an electrical wire coming from an alternator in the engine had been chaffing against the number four fuel line.
Factual narrative
On March 13, 1999, approximately 1500 mountain standard time, a Gulfstream Aerospace G-IV, N411WW, received minor damage to the left engine while in cruise flight near Durango, Colorado. The airline transport pilot captain and the airline transport pilot first officer were not injured. The airplane was being operated by Zeno Air Inc. of Chicago, Illinois, under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country repositioning flight which originated at Santa Barbara, California, approximately 1 hour, 30 minutes before the incident. An IFR flight plan had been filed with a destination of Chicago Midway Airport, Chicago, Illinois.
According to the captain, the airplane was cruising at 41,000 feet msl when the crew noticed low fuel flow and low EGT readings on the left engine. He further stated that the oil temperature and fuel temperature gauges began to rise on the same engine. He requested clearance to descend, and as he reduced the throttle, the fire light on the left engine illuminated. He pulled the left fire T-handle and the fire light extinguished. The crew secured the engine, requested emergency equipment be standing by in Durango, and landed without further incident.
Postaccident examination by maintenance personnel from Gulfstream revealed that the lower forward area of the left engine nacelle was damaged by fire. Further examination revealed that an electrical wire coming from an alternator in the engine had been chaffing against the number four fuel line. Gulfstream has prepared an Alert Customer Bulletin No. 26A, dated March 17, 1999, to notify all owners of Gulfstream IV's of this problem.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N411WW
- Reported as
- Gulfstream G-IV
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1121
- Airframe hours
- 5,196
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce TAY 611-8, 13,850 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Zeno Air Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- SBA · Santa Barbara, CA
- Destination
- MDW · Chicago, IL
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,600 total · 900 in this make and model · 11,500 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.