- Date
- July 25, 1990, 16:50 local (21:50 UTC)
- Place
- Panama City, FL
- Injuries
- 28 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N800MXde Havilland DHC-8-100
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 32585
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
Failure of seal in the hydraulic actuator for the right outboard wing spoiler panel for unknown reasons.
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
During an attempted takeoff roll the crew noted a warning light indicating wing spoiler deployment and aborted the takeoff. Company maintenance personnel deactivated the wing spoiler system and the wing spoiler warning system. After takeoff the crew experienced roll control dificulty and returned and landed. Examination revealed that the right outboard spoiler panel had deployed with no warning. The actuator was removed and the hydraulic seal was found cut and leaking around the piston that was worn beyond servicable limits.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N800MX
- Reported as
- de Havilland DHC-8-100
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1259
- Engine
- P&W 121A, 2,150 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Eastern Metro Express
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Destination
- ATL · Atlanta, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 27
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,200 total · 700 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Observed at
- PFN