British Aerospace BAE-ATP incident near Fort Wayne, Indiana, January 8, 1992
On January 8, 1992 at about 4:30 pm local time, a British Aerospace BAE-ATP, registered N852AW, was involved in an incident near Fort Wayne, Indiana (Baer Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 16 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO MAINTAIN THE AIRPLANE IN ACCORDANCE WITH EXISTING SERVICE BULLETINS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 1992 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Wayne, Indiana · Baer Field · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 16 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- British Aerospace BAE-ATP
- Registration
- N852AW · no longer on the register · serial 2021
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHEN A DESCENT WAS COMMENCED FROM 11,000 FEET, MULTIPLE STATIC DISCHARGES OCCURRED ON BOTH THE CAPTAIN'S AND FIRST OFFICER'S WINDSHIELDS, FOLLOWED BY LOSS OF BOTH THE CAPTAIN'S AND FIRST OFFICER'S EFIS DISPLAYS. THE FLIGHT WAS CONTINUED TO THE DESTINATION ON PRIMARY FLIGHT DISPLAYS. ENROUTE A RIGHT ENGINE FIRE WARNING INDICATION WAS RECEIVED. THE FLIGHT LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT AND A SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT 24 STATIC DISCHARGE WICKS WERE FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE. SEVERAL STATIC WICKS WERE NOT BONDED TO THE AIRFRAME. OTHER SIMILAR BONDING PROBLEMS WERE FOUND ON THE AIRPLANE. THE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE FIRE WARNING SYSTEM WAS TRACED TO A CONTAMINATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,028 hours in all; 447 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 50,550 lb
- Seats: 64
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW126A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Wisconsin Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 3:40 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 8,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,500 ft; scat at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from FWA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 13 |
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 N852AW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.