Gates Lear Jet 35A incident near Over Fargo, North Dakota, December 10, 1982
On December 10, 1982 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Gates Lear Jet 35A, registered N1500E, suffered minor damage in an incident near Over Fargo, North Dakota. It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 10, 1982 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Over Fargo, North Dakota
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gates Lear Jet 35A · all 35As on the register
- Registration
- N1500E · registry record · serial 124
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE LEVEL AT FL370 OVER FARGO, ND, THE CREW HEARD A LOUD BANG IN THE ENGINE AREA AND THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF CABIN PRESSURE. AT THE SAME TIME, THE CREW NOTICED THAT THEY HAD LOST POWER ON THE #2 ENGINE. AFTER SECURING THE ENGINE AND REGAINING CONTROL OF THE CABIN PRESSURIZATION, THE FLIGHT WAS CONTINUED TO MILWAUKEE, WI, WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. EXAMINATION REVEALED TWO JAGGED HOLES IN THE ENGINE COWL AND ONE THROUGH THE AFT FUSELAGE. DETAILED EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT IT HAD EXPERIENCED A SEGMENT SEPARATION OF THE 2ND STAGE LOW PRESSURE TURBINE DISC. THE CHUNK FAILURE WAS A RESULT OF IMPROPER MACHINING OF THE FORWARD SIDE WEB AREA OF THE DISC. THE PRESSURIZATION DROP OCCURRED WHEN SEPARATION DISC FRAGMENTS STRUCK AND DISABLED THE 3 WAY BLEED VALVE.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 18,700 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 18,000 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airresearch TFE-731-2-2B (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bucyrus Erie Company
The flight
- Departed from: Jamestown ND at 10:15 am
- Destination: Milwaukee WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N1500E 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 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 CHI83IA054.