British Aerospace 146-300A incident near Chicago, Illinois, July 21, 1993
On July 21, 1993, a British Aerospace 146-300A, registered N611AW, suffered minor damage in an incident near Chicago, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 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
was a crack in the fuel system fuel flow distribution manifold which resulted from an inadequate design by the manufacturer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 1993
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- British Aerospace 146-300A
- Registration
- N611AW · registry record · serial E3120
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE INITIAL CLIMBOUT THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT OBSERVED THE TAILCONE OF THE AIRPLANE'S NUMBER FOUR ENGINE GLOWING. AS THE POWER WAS REDUCED THE GLOW CEASED. THE AIRPLANE RETURNED TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. THE ENGINE WAS INSPECTED AND ITS FUEL MANIFOLD WAS FOUND CRACKED AT THE SCALLOP RADIUS. THE MANUFACTURER MODIFIED THE FUEL MANIFOLD SO THAT ITS WALL WOULD BE THICKER AT THE RADIUS. THE MODIFIED MANIFOLD WAS NOT INSTALLED ON THE INCIDENT AIRPLANE.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,468 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1993; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 95,000 lb
- Seats: 100
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming ALF 502R (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Wisconsin, INC.
The flight
- Destination: ATW Appleton WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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 N611AW 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.