Raytheon Corporate Jets Beechjet 400A incident near Sarasota, Florida, July 12, 2004
On July 12, 2004 at about 4:01 am local time, a Raytheon Corporate Jets Beechjet 400A, registered N455CW, was involved in an incident near Sarasota, Florida. It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
High-altitude ice crystals that had accreted on the compressor vanes and were ingested into the high pressure compressor when the pilots retarded the power levers causing compressor surges and flameouts of both engines. Contributing factors were the lack of training on the hazards of high-altitude ice crystals to gas turbine engines and guidance to the pilots to activate the engine anti-ice system in conditions where high-altitude ice crystals may exist.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 2004 · about 4:01 am local time
- Place
- Sarasota, Florida · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Raytheon Corporate Jets Beechjet 400A
- Registration
- N455CW · no longer on the register · serial RK-365
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Raytheon Beechjet 400A was descending through flight level 390 when both of the engines flamed out and lost all power while operating in instrument meteorological conditions with convective storms in the area. The pilots, after several attempts, were able to get one engine restarted as the airplane was descending through 10,000 feet and diverted to a nearby airport. Testing of the engines immediately after the incident revealed that they were operating correctly. Testing of the fuel revealed that it conformed to the specifications for Jet A, but the fuel system icing inhibitor (FSII) was significantly below the required concentration. The investigation of two subsequent dual-engine flame out incidents revealed the FSII was not a factor. Convective weather can lift significant amounts of water into the upper atmosphere that then form ice crystals. Research indicates that the ice crystals can partially melt passing through the JT15D-5 engine fan that can then accrete to an internal compressor stator. When any accreted ice was shed from the stator vanes, it would pass through the high pressure compressor and could be picked up by the pressure sense line to the fuel control. Flight tests confirmed that sense line could go below freezing at low power settings at high altitude. Other tests showed that if the sense line was blocked and the power levers were retarded, the electronic engine control would reduce the fuel flow to reduce the power, but the sense pressure within the fuel control would be maintained. But when the blockage was cleared, the sudden reduction in the sense pressure in the fuel control would result in a reduction of the fuel flow at a rate that was much faster than a normal rapid power reduction and could result in the engine flaming out.
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: 13,633 hours in all; 1,833 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 585 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 16,300 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KDUC Duncan OK
- Destination: KRSW Fort Myers FL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 7 |
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.