- Date
- October 28, 1990, 13:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Parkersburg, WV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N52DCDassault-Breguet Falcon 50
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19901028052109A
- Case key
- 36834
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
Catastrophic failure of the left engine fan disc due to low cycle fatigue.
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
N52DC was climbing thru FL280 when the flt crew felt a 'violent shudder' in the airframe and observed indications of a left engine failure. Visual examination of the left eng revealed the fan section had separated (uncontained failure/tearaway). The airplane was landed without further incident. A post-accident exam of the parts revealed the fan disc failed catastrophically due to low cycle fatigue.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52DC
- Reported as
- Dassault-Breguet Falcon 50
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 126
- Engine
- Garrett TFE 731-3-1C, 3,700 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Operator
- Dow Chemical Company
- Departed
- LWB · Lewisburg, WV
- Destination
- MBS · Saginaw, MI
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.