- Date
- March 21, 1990, 19:30 local (Mar 22, 1990, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N802XBritish Aerospace HS125-800
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900321065949I
- Case key
- 23054
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 leaking aft lavatory water heater unit.
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 corporate jet was cruising at FL330 when the pilot noted that the ailerons were locked. He found that the aft lavatory water system had leaked two and a half gallons of potable water into the keel area of the fuselage around the aileron cables and pulleys. The pilot surmised that the water was frozen around the cables and declared an emergency. The outside air temperature was -50 c. during final approach, aileron control was regained and a normal landing was accomplished. Examination of the lavatory water system revealed a cracked copper output line on the water heater unit.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N802X
- Reported as
- British Aerospace HS125-800
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- NA-0418
- Engine
- Garrett 731-5R-1H, 4,300 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91 subpart F
- Operator
- Exxon Corporation
- Departed
- IAH · Houston, TX
- Destination
- EWR · Newark, NJ
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 10,110 total · 400 in this make and model · 7,321 as pilot in command · 88 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ATL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.