Cessna Citation 650 incident near Madison, Wisconsin, October 9, 2005
On October 9, 2005 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna Citation 650, registered N175DP, suffered minor damage in an incident near Madison, Wisconsin. It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate design of the engine's interstage transition duct that yielded after the LPT stage 3 blades had separated and allowed the uncontained release of turbine debris. A contributing factor was the separation of a turbine blade.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2005 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Madison, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna Citation 650
- Registration
- N175DP · registry record · serial 650-7116
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was in cruise flight when the pilots heard a bang and the left engine lost power. The flight crew made a precautionary landing without incident. An examination of the left engine revealed a hole in the bottom of the cowling, and the LPT 3rd stage blades were broken. Metallurgical examination of the broken blades identified one that had fatigue progressions. By part number, the broken blades had previously been identified as having high stresses that could lead to the separation of the blade through the airfoil section. The interstage transition duct was bulged out around the LPT 3rd stage and had an almost 180 degree split in the bulged out section at the bottom of the duct. The metallurgical examination of the case and its material revealed that it conformed to engineering drawing requirements and material specifications.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,500 hours in all; 4,500 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 7,200 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,700 hours in all; 875 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 8,200 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 23,000 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Honeywell TFE731-4R-2S (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Honeywell TFE731-4R-2S (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Marshall & Ilsley Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: MKE Milwaukee WI
- Destination: VNY Van Nuys CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
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.