Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B incident near Chattanooga, Tennessee, August 31, 1992
On August 31, 1992 at about 7:50 pm local time, a Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B, registered N245AE, was involved in an incident near Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 25 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
THE FAILURE AND SUBSEQUENT SEIZURE OF THE REDUCTION GEAR BOX, AND THE FAILURE OF THE PROPELLER CONTROL UNIT AS A RESULT OF CONTAMINATED OIL SUPPLY WHICH IS SHARED WITH THE GEAR BOX.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 1992 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Chattanooga, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 25 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B
- Registration
- N245AE · registry record · serial 245
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT WAS CRUISING AT AN ALTITUDE OF 15,000 FEET. THE FLIGHT CREW OBSERVED THE PROPELLER OIL PRESSURE FOR THE LEFT ENGINE RISE ABOVE THE RED LINE, AND SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN. THE FLIGHT WAS OVER CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, AND THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND AT CHATTANOOGA. THE FLIGHT CREW UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTED SEVERAL TIMES TO FEATHER THE PROPELLER. THE FLIGHT CREW REPORTED THAT AT SOME POINT, PRIOR TO EXITING THE RUNWAY AFTER LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT PROPELLER HAD STOPPED ROTATING. EXAMINATION OF THE PROPELLER GEAR BOX REVEALED THAT THE GEAR BOX WAS SEIZED AS A RESULT OF A FAILURE WITHIN THE GEAR BOX. EXAMINATION OF THE PROPELLER CONTROL UNIT REVEALED THAT THE UNIT WAS FAILED TO PITCHLOCK AS A RESULT OF CONTAMINATED OIL SUPPLY FROM THE GEAR BOX. VELOCITY MINIMUM CONTROL WITH A NON ROTATING PROPELLER HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED FOR THIS AIRCRAFT.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,234 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 197 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,447 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 16, 1992; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 28,800 lb
- Seats: 37
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CT7-9B (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flagship Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BNA Nashville TN at 7:00 pm
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from BNA, 60 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 22 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N245AE the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ATL92IA169.