Airbus Industrie A-320-212 incident near Memphis, Tennessee, February 16, 1998
On February 16, 1998 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A-320-212, registered N341NW, suffered minor damage in an incident near Memphis, Tennessee. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 117 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the inadequate (bronze) material used by the fuel pump's manufacturer, which wore and ultimately blocked the fuel filter bypass and partially blocked the fuel nozzles, causing the fuel spray to burn through the low pressure turbine case.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 1998 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 117 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A-320-212 · all A-320-212s on the register
- Registration
- N341NW · registry record · serial 380
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While en route from Detroit to Mexico City , the flightcrew received a warning message from the Engine Condition and Monitoring System (ECAS) that the No. 1 fuel filter was clogged. The flight was subsequently diverted to Memphis for a precautionary landing. Post-landing examination of the engine revealed a 4-inch long (circumferential) by 1-inch wide (axial) burn-through in the low pressure turbine case in the plane of the 2nd stage turbine stators at the 11 o'clock location. The examination of the fuel pump filter revealed the presence of a bronze-colored material. The fuel nozzles were reported to have bronze-colored material in the nozzle jets. Records show that the fuel pump had operated 17,208 hours time since new and 6,972 cycles since new. The disassembly of the pump revealed the pump housing had gear pocket milling. The fixed and driven bearings, which are made of bronze, were worn. The fuel pump's filter bypass valve was found to have bronze-colored particles on both sides of the valve. The fuel pump's four bearings were made of bronze and all four bearings exhibited wear and material loss.
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: 5,649 hours in all; 195 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,626 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 162,000 lb
- Seats: 157
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM56-5A3 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DTW Detroit MI at 2:16 pm
- Destination: MEX Mexico City
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 110 |
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.