Embraer 120 incident near Raleigh, North Carolina, February 20, 1996
On February 20, 1996 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Embraer 120, registered N129AM, was involved in an incident near Raleigh, North Carolina (Raleigh-Durham Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The operator's inadequate progressive inspection program that did not require periodic analysis of airplane hydraulic system fluid; and the failure of the operator to comply with the airplane manufacturer's maintenance manual resulting in contamination of the airplane's hydraulic system that exceeded the maximum contamination level.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 1996 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- Raleigh, North Carolina · Raleigh-Durham Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Embraer 120
- Registration
- N129AM · no longer on the register · serial 120-119
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flightcrew, during the initial climb after takeoff, an uncommanded right rudder pedal hardover occurred, during which the right rudder pedal moved to the fully depressed position. The hydraulic system was deenergized and an uneventful landing was made at the departure airport. A postincident examination of the airplane's rudder control system did not reveal any discrepancies. However, hydraulic system fluid samples were obtained and analyzed, along with an inspection, testing, and disassembly of the rudder hydraulic power control unit and the rudder actuators. As a result of the testing, contamination was found in the fluid samples from the airplane's hydraulic reservoirs and the power control unit that exceeded the maximum levels established by the airplane manufacturer's maintenance manual. The operator's FAA accepted general operating manual requires compliance with the manufacturer's maintenance manual. Additionally, the operator did not have an established procedure for periodically sampling and analyzing hydraulic fluid from airplane systems.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,550 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,295 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 18, 1996; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 25,353 lb
- Seats: 34
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW118 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Great Lakes Aviation LTD
The flight
- Departed from: RDU at 8:00 pm
- Destination: ILM Wilmington NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23R, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from RDU, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.