- Date
- February 3, 2001, 09:10 local (15:10 UTC)
- Place
- New Orleans, LA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N190WCBritish Aerospace HS.125-700A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20010203002179A
- Case key
- 51733
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
the pilot-in-command's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a flight with a blocked fuel tank vent. A contributing factor was maintenance personnel's failure to remove the tape covering the fuel tank vent following a pressure test.
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 pilot-in-command (PIC) stated that they were flying at 4,000 feet msl over Lake Pontchartrain when the flight crew heard a bang. The pilots thought that they had experienced a bird strike, and they landed uneventfully at New Orleans. Post flight examination of the left wing revealed that the left wing's fuel vent was blocked with duct tape, and the wet wing fuel tank had collapsed. The fuel tank stringers and the wing ribs sustained structural damage. The PIC stated that the fuel tanks had been repaired and pressure tested prior to the flight. The PIC added that after the pressure test, the mechanic, who repaired the fuel tank, removed the tape from the right wing's fuel vent; however, both the mechanic and the flight crew failed to notice the duct tape over the left wing's fuel vent. The flight crew stated that there were no streamers or markers present to indicate that the fuel tank vent was covered with duct tape.
Factual narrative
On February 03, 2001, at 0910 central standard time, a British Aerospace HS.125-700A turbojet airplane, N190WC, was substantially damaged when its left wing fuel tank compressed and the left wing distorted during a normal descent into New Orleans, Louisiana. The airplane was registered to and operated by Walker Aviation, Inc., of Jackson, Mississippi. The airline transport pilot-in-command (PIC), the airline transport second-in-command (SIC), and the jump seat passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 business flight. The flight originated from Jackson, Mississippi, at 0830, and was destined for New Orleans.
During a telephone interview conducted by the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the PIC stated that they were flying at 4,000 feet msl over Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, when the flight crew heard a bang. The pilots thought that they had experienced a bird strike, and they landed the airplane uneventfully at New Orleans Lakefront Airport.
Post flight examination of the left wing revealed that the left wing's fuel vent was blocked with duct tape, and the wet wing fuel tank had collapsed. The PIC stated that the fuel tanks had been repaired and pressure tested prior to the flight. The PIC added that after the pressure test, the mechanic, who repaired the fuel tank, removed the tape from the right wing's fuel vent; however, both the mechanic and the flight crew failed to notice the duct tape over the left wing's fuel vent. The flight crew stated that there were no streamers or markers present to indicate that the fuel tank vent was covered with duct tape.
According to one of the FAA inspectors, who examined the airplane, the fuel tank stringers and the wing's ribs sustained structural damage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N190WC
- Reported as
- British Aerospace HS.125-700A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- NA0329
- Airframe hours
- 8,203.8
- Engines
- Airesearch TFE-731-3R-1H, 3,700 lbs thrust, turbo fanAiresearch TFE-731-3R-1H, 3,700 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Walker Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · February 1, 2001 · 0.5 hours before
- Departed
- JAN · Jackson, MS
- Destination
- NEW · New Orleans, LA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- NEW · New Orleans Lakefront, runway UNK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- April 13, 2000
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 19,210 total · 3,278 in this make and model · 15,049 as pilot in command · 74 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- July 3, 2000
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 9,600 total · 1,850 in this make and model · 7,500 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.37 inHg
- Observed at
- NEW
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.