- Date
- December 9, 1992, 15:48 local (21:48 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 18 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N16729Embraer EMB-120RT
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921209053989I
- Case key
- 18586
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 assigned mechanic's failure to reinstall the attachment screws and the quality inspector's inadequate inspection of the completed work. A factor was the complacency of the maintenance personnel.
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
Shortly after takeoff the first officer felt a vibration through the airframe and the control column. The captain felt the same vibration and elected to execute a precautionary landing at the departure airport. Investigation revealed that 14 screws were missing from the left upper aileron vane and that the screws had been left out after the vane was partially removed during maintenance prior to the flight. The assigned mechanic did not replace the screws and the quality control inspector failed to see that they were missing during his inspection.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16729
- Reported as
- Embraer EMB-120RT
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 120-185
- Airframe hours
- 4,200
- Engine
- P&W PWC100, 1,800 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Britt Airways, Inc., doing business as Continental Express
- Registered owner
- Continental Airlines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · December 9, 1992 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- IAH
- Destination
- ESF · Alexandria, LA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- IAH · Intercontinental
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 31
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 2,200 in this make and model · 90 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 17 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.