Cessna S550 incident near Columbus, Georgia, December 1, 1990
On December 1, 1990, a Cessna S550, registered N185SF, suffered minor damage in an incident near Columbus, Georgia (Columbus Metro airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A FATIGUE FAILURE OF A SPOT WELD ON THE GAS GENERATOR CASE, WHICH RESULTED IN AN ENGINE EXPLOSION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 1, 1990
- Place
- Columbus, Georgia · Columbus Metro · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna S550 · all S550s on the register
- Registration
- N185SF · registry record · serial 550-0029
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ABORTED A NIGHT TAKE OFF ROLL AFTER THE RIGHT ENGINE EXPLODED. EXAMINATION OF THE RIGHT ENGINE DISCLOSED THAT THE ENGINE COWLING WAS DISPLACED ABOUT 12 INCHES FROM ITS NORMALLY INSTALLED POSITION. FURTHER EXAMINATION INDICATED THAT THE OUTER BYPASS DUCT AND GAS GENERATOR CASE WERE BURST OPEN FROM THE 12:00 TO 5:00 O'CLOCK POSITION. THE RUPTURE OCCURRED AS THE AIRPLANE ACCELERATED THROUGH 84 KNOTS ON THE TAKEOFF ROLL. THE INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THAT THE GAS GENERATOR FAILED DUE TO SPOT WELD FATIGUE FAILURE, AND THE EXITING GASES UNDER HIGH PRESSURE BURST THE OUTER BYPASS DUCT, CAUSING EXPLOSION DAMAGE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all; 2,400 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 5,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 15,100 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sovran Bank Na
The flight
- Destination: PDK Chamblee GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 5, 6,998 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL91IA024.