Embraer EMB-120RT accident near Carrollton, Georgia, August 21, 1995
On August 21, 1995 at about 4:53 pm local time, a Embraer EMB-120RT, registered N256AS, was destroyed in an accident near Carrollton, Georgia (West Georgia Regional airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 8 people were killed, 13 people were seriously injured and 8 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the in-flight fatigue fracture and separation of a propeller blade resulting in distortion of the left engine nacelle, causing excessive drag, loss of wing lift, and reduced directional control of the airplane. The fracture was caused by a fatigue crack from multiple corrosion pits that were not discovered by Hamilton Standard because of inadequate and ineffective corporate inspection and repair techniques, training, documentation, and communications. Contributing to the accident was Hamilton Standard's and FAA's failure to require recurrent on-wing ultrasonic inspections of the affected propellers. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the overcast cloud ceiling at the accident site.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 1995 · about 4:53 pm local time
- Place
- Carrollton, Georgia · West Georgia Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 8 people were killed, 13 people were seriously injured and 8 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Embraer EMB-120RT · all EMB-120RTs on the register
- Registration
- N256AS · registry record · serial 120122
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Atlantic Southeast Airline Flight 529 was climbing through 18,000', when a blade from the left propeller separated. This resulted in distortion of the left engine nacelle, excessive drag, loss of wing lift, & reduced directional control. The degraded performance resulted in a forced landing. While landing, the airplane passed through trees, impacted the ground, & was further damaged by postimpact fire. An exam of the left propeller revealed the blade had failed due to a fatigue crack that originated from multiple corrosion pits in the taper bore surface of the blade spar. The crack had propagated toward the outside of the blade & around both sides of the taper bore. Due to 2 previous blade failures (separations), a borescope inspection procedure had been developed by Hamilton Standard to inspect returned blades (that had rejectable ultrasonic indications) for evidence of cracks, pits & corrosion. The accident blade was one of 490 rejected blades that had been sent to Hamilton Standard for further evaluation & possible repair. Maintenance technicians, who inspected the blade, lacked proper NDI familiarization training & specific equipment to identify the corrosion that resulted in fatigue. (See: NTSB/AAR-96/06 for additional information.)
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,876 hours in all; 7,374 in this make and model; 212 in the last 90 days; 67 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Crew member
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,193 hours in all; 363 in this make and model; 274 in the last 90 days; 94 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,151 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 20, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 25,353 lb
- Seats: 30
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT118 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Atlantic Southeast Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Hartsfield Int. GA at 4:23 pm
- Destination: GPT Gulfport MS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 34, 5,001 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from CTJ, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 2 | ||
| Passengers | 7 | 11 | 8 |
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.