Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Stapleton International Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Denver, Colorado 80207
Tuesady, July 21, 1992 17:45 MDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE CAPTAIN WAS FLYING THE AIRPLANE WITH HIS RIGHT HAND RESTING ON THE POWER CONTROLS. AS THE AIRPLANE TURNED ONTO FINAL APPROACH, IT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE OF SUFFICIENT INTENSITY THAT THE CAPTAIN'S FEET CAME OFF THE RUDDER PEDALS. HE FELT A 'CLICK' IN HIS HAND AND 'THERE WAS AN INSTANTANEOUS PROPELLER OVERSPEED.' THE ENGINE WAS EVENTUALLY SECURED BY CLOSING THE FUEL SHUTOFF VALVE AND AN UNEVENTFUL NO FLAP LANDING WAS MADE. POST INCIDENT EXAMINATION DISCLOSED BOTH AIR GROUND CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE OPEN. THE LEFT ENGINE WAS FOUND TO BE FUNCTIONALLY DESTROYED. A READOUT OF THE DIGITAL FLIGHT DATA RECORDER DISCLOSED THE MAXIMUM LEFT AND RIGHT PROPELLER RPM VALUES ATTAINED WERE 150.49% AND 120.4%, RESPECTIVELY. VERTICAL ACCELERATION VALUES RANGED FROM .647 TO 1.26 G'S, AND LONGITUDINAL ACCELERATION VALUES RANGED FROM .037 TO .096 G'S. THE RIGHT ENGINE TORQUE PEAKED AT 37%, WHILE THE LEFT ENGINE TORQUE REMAINED AT 0%. RIGHT ENGINE FUEL FLOW WAS 16% TO 19% LOWER THAN LEFT ENGINE FUEL FLOW, AND PROPELLER IMBALANCE VALUES FOR THE LEFT ENGINE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50% HIGHER THAN THOSE RECORDED FOR THE RIGHT ENGINE.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
OPEN AIR GROUND CIRCUIT BREAKERS THAT ALLOWED THE PROPELLERS TO OVERSPEED. A FACTOR WAS: CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Incident |
| Event Date | 7/21/1992 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1745 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Daylight Time |
| Event City | DENVER |
| Event State | COLORADO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 80207 |
| Event Date Year | 1992 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | DEN |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Unknown |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 5333 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Witness |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 8000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 40 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 29 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 12 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 20 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 6 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 8157 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 26 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 5039 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 22 1992 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1000 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 48223 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 3:04PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N221YV |
| NTSB Number | DEN92IA074 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | None |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | EMBRAER |
| Aircraft Model | EMB-120 RT |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | EMB-120 RT |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 120.221 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 25353 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 33 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jul 20 1992 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 7 |
| Airframe Hours | 3928 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | CHEMICAL TRUST COMPANY OF CA |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 50 CALIFORNIA STREET |
| Aircraft Owner City | SAN FRANCISCO |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 94111 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | MESA AIRLINES, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 2325 E. 30TH ST. |
| Operator City | FARMINGTON |
| Operator State | NM |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 87401 |
| Operator Code | MASA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | DRO |
| Departure City | DURANGO |
| Departure State | CO |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1645 |
| Departure Time Zone | MDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | DEN |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 26 |
| Runway Length | 8599 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |