British Aerospace BAE 146 incident near Des Moines, Iowa, May 27, 1996
On May 27, 1996 at about 2:20 am local time, a British Aerospace BAE 146, registered N608AW, was involved in an incident near Des Moines, Iowa (Des Moines airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 58 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the flight crew to follow proper procedures, which resulted in an accumulation of ice and subsequent loss of engine power. Factors relating to the incident were: thunderstorms, turbulence, icing conditions, and the inaccurate method that was provided by the manufacturer for determining 'in cloud' air temperature and icing conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 1996 · about 2:20 am local time
- Place
- Des Moines, Iowa · Des Moines
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 58 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- British Aerospace BAE 146 · all BAE 146s on the register
- Registration
- N608AW · no longer on the register · serial E2049
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While operating in clouds at flight level 290, in an area with thunderstorms and turbulence, the airplane experienced a loss of power in all four engines. Information from the flight data recorder indicated that during descent from flight level 290, an elevator oscillation occurred. The #1 and #2 engines were shut down due to high turbine gas temperatures. The #2 engine was restarted before making an emergency landing at the Des Moines Airport. The captain reported that the airplane had been flown into severe icing conditions. The aircraft flight manual (AFM) prohibited flight in icing conditions above 26,000 feet (except when necessary for descent). Also, the AFM stipulated the minimum engine speeds which needed to be maintained while operating in icing conditions; it also required that the thrust management system (TMS) be disconnected in icing conditions. There were indications that the TMS was disconnected about 230 seconds after engine roll-back began. Additionally, the AFM did not provide accurate information concerning 'in cloud' correction factor for the outside temperature thermometer.
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: 12,000 hours in all; 7,500 in this make and model; 164 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 11,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,978 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 26, 1996; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 89,500 lb
- Seats: 100
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming ALF-502R-5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Wisconsin
The flight
- Departed from: DIA Denver CO at 1:18 am
- Destination: MLI Moline IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13L, 9,001 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 080° at 13 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 3.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am from DSM, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | |||
| Passengers | 54 |
Other NTSB records under N608AW 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 CHI96IA173.