Aerospatiale ATR-42-300 incident near Moline, Illinois, March 31, 1993
On March 31, 1993 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Aerospatiale ATR-42-300, registered N426TE, was involved in an incident near Moline, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 21 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PASSENGER'S FAILURE TO EXTINGUISH A CIGARETTE BEFORE PLACING IT INTO THE LAVATORY WASTE BIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE INCIDENT WERE: AN INOPERATIVE SMOKE DETECTOR IN THE LAVATORY, THE MANUFACTURER'S INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM, AND INADEQUATE REVIEW OF THE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM BY THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 31, 1993 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Moline, Illinois · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 21 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale ATR-42-300 ATR 42-300
- Registration
- N426TE · no longer on the register · serial 228
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A PASSENGER HAD DISCARDED A CIGARETTE BEFORE LEAVING THE LAVATORY. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT FOUND SMOKE ISSUING FROM THE WASTE BIN AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THERE WAS NO INDICATION IN THE COCKPIT OF SMOKE OR FIRE. A LATER CHECK OF THE SMOKE DETECTOR SHOWED IT DID NOT ACTIVATE WHEN SMOKE WAS GENERATED IN THE LAVATORY. THE OPERATOR ADHERED TO THE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE PROGRAM; THE PROGRAM CONTAINED NO PROCEDURE OR INTERVAL FOR CLEANING SMOKE DETECTORS OR DUCTING. THERE WAS NO OPERATIONAL TEST WHICH DEMOSTRATED A DETECTOR COULD SENSE SMOKE.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,500 hours in all; 2,700 in this make and model; 242 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 7,800 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 3, 1993; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 40,000 lb
- Seats: 51
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW-120 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Trans States Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: STL St. Louis MO at 6:14 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,650 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from MLI, 70 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 18 |
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.